A Dangerous Love
by MisticLight
Summary: Evelyn thought living in the Caribbean would be simple when compared to her controlling life back in England. She couldn't have been more wrong. Things were actually about to become much more difficult. Will Turner/OC. COMPLETE. And has a sequel. Total edited chapters: Eleven.
1. Introduction

**So I've decided to edit this story. I'm not going to post an authors note on every chapter saying "This has been revised" or something like that. Instead, I'll have in the description "Total chapters edited: (insert number)." So make sure to check it out from time to time. Or, for those especially eager ones, PM me and let me know if you'd just like me to tell you if I've posted an edited chapter. Anyways, happy reading!**

**~MisticLight**

~.~.~.~.

For as long as I can remember I've always loved hearing stories of adventure, thrills, tragedy, and undying love. I never would have imagined myself getting wrapped up in one of these stories, and yet here I am. When I decided to travel to Port Royal, I had no idea of the adventure lying in store for me. Some may say my decision to go was the worst action imaginable, but I disagree. In my eyes, my life could not have taken a better path.

I guess you could say it was destined I go to Port Royal.

If destiny is in fact true.


	2. Job Search

**Goodness I love pirates. Who doesn't?**

**Well…I guess you wouldn't be here right now if you didn't, unless, of course, you choose to make this moment awkward by hating pirates and being here. Whatever works for you :)**

**~MisticLight**

~.~.~.~.

"Sir, I'd like to apply for the job." I lied to the pastry chef with a forced confident smile. I couldn't cook, so why was I inside a pastry shop? Because I needed money, and the only way to do so was to either engage myself with a high class gentleman or find work. Currently, the better option would be to find work since I hardly consider myself charming enough for a gentleman.

At any rate, I've been searching for an occupation for days now without any luck. The 18th try's the charm…right? "Sir, I assure you I can cook. I used to do so for my mother back in England." Lies. I have yet to attain the job and already I've lied…twice. Fantastic.

Just as all the other employers had, this exceptionally large pastry chef stared down at me with humor in his eyes. "You say you can cook, but what about pastries? There is a difference in the cooking style." I quickly nodded, despite my lack of knowledge in such a difference. Smiling, the chef wasted no time in plopping some dough in front of me. "If you can make a Strawberry Danish, the job is yours."

I nervously watched as the large ball of dough sunk down upon the table. I suppose I had this coming since I claimed I could cook. After an eternity of just looking at it, I released a heavy sigh and rolled up my sleeves to knead the dough. _Let's get this over with._

The chef's judging eyes never left me as I played with the sticky dough. Sometimes I'd glance his way, but all I saw was disappointment lingering behind his eyes. This was definitely not what I wanted to see. However, I just I bit my lip and continued on with my 'cooking' until I thought I the dough was ready. Except…I'm pretty sure there shouldn't be lumps still.

Obviously I was failing, and the chef knew I would from the moment I walked in the door. I cautiously picked up the clumsy looking dough, but now what? I looked to the chef for help, but his amused face only failed at holding back a smile.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do this!" I cried, slamming the dough back onto the counter. I wiped my hands on my dress and backed up towards the door, not daring to look the chef in the eye. "I don't even know how to cook! Although I assume you knew that small detail straight away. Do as you will, but I'm leaving!"

With that, I stormed out of the shop with whatever dignity I had left. Before the door fully slammed behind me, I heard the unmistakable laugh of the chef bellowing after me. I may have made a complete fool of myself in, but that gives no reason for mockery! Well it doesn't matter; I wouldn't be able to stand working for him anyway. He'd probably pester my time with unnecessary tasks and little pay. Surely no one could stand for such conditions! Where's the freedom in that?

Before going any further, I closed my eyes and let out a long sigh. I had to calm myself down before I did something drastic. I'm not the assertive type, but I can and will stand up for myself when needed. So instead of focusing on the chef's rude test, I forced my mind to think of other things such as the pleasant weather. The sun brightly smiled upon the city and warmed my face as the soft Caribbean breeze blew my hair into my eyes, fogging my vision with a cloud of brown. I pushed my hair to the side and beamed at the surrounding world. It's another lovely day in the Caribbean.

Now feeling quite relaxed, I gazed across the town of Port Royal. It wasn't exactly the loveliest of towns, but it was said to be very successful back in England. Plus there was a splendid view of the ocean in every direction! Despite the scenic view, the town itself lacked such charm. The buildings were far from being considered new, but they weren't quite old enough to have blemishes upon them. The surrounding streets were filled with people hustling about and doing, what I assumed, was their daily tasks. There was only one unusual exception about today: the military was everywhere.

Shaking myself out of my trance, I picked up my skirts and proceeded to cross the bustling street. It's a pity I forgot to check my surroundings before stepping upon the pavement! I was only half way across when I found myself colliding into one of these military men. The impact flung me to the ground in a most indecent manor.

The officer I ran into quickly rushed over to me. "Are you alright, Miss?" He asked, his face full of worry.

"Oh, why, yes of course." I replied a little winded. He offered his hand to me and I gladly accepted it. Once I was stable enough on my feet, the man dropped my hand and I was able to get a better look of him. His hair was a dark, sandy color and almost blended in with his hazel eyes. Overall he was a fine looking young man, and just thinking about it made me blush.

Before he could catch onto my blush I looked down to dust the dirt off of my dress. "I'm fine, thank you Mr.…"

I lifted my eyes when he didn't respond. I wondered if he was taking in my own appearance, seeing as that's what people normally do upon first encounters. By my standards, I'm pretty normal looking with my brown hair and light blue eyes. So there isn't too much to take in. "Whitaker, Miss. Whitaker Davis."

"Thank you, Mr. Davis." I politely smiled with a modest curtsy. I'm pretty sure that's what you're supposed to do when meeting someone of a higher class. "My name is Evelyn Pierce, and I'm terribly sorry for not paying attention and running into you." I could feel the small blush forming again; I just hoped he wouldn't catch it.

"No need to apologize, Miss. Pierce." Whitaker assured me. "We're all in a bit of a rush this morning. I was the one not paying attention."

I was going to protest and restate it being my fault, but this wouldn't get us anywhere. Besides, there was a greater question on my mind. "If you don't mind me asking, why is the military running about?" Whitaker's puzzled expression made me feel a little embarrassed. I think he expected me to know, but how could I? I was too busy getting laughed at by a fat pastry chef.

My curious expression didn't change, and, seeing this, Whitaker began his explanation. "Governor Swann's daughter, Miss. Elizabeth Swann, was held hostage by a pirate not an hour ago. However, we were unable able to apprehend said pirate after Miss. Swann was released."

A pirate? I've always had mixed feelings about pirates. They were rude and self-centered, but they did take their freedom to heart and weren't afraid to express themselves. However, pirates are unpredictable. Was this pirate one of them? And what about Miss. Swann? How was she holding up?

"He doesn't seem very dangerous, Miss. Pierce." Whitaker continued after seeing my uneasy expression "He saved Miss. Swann from drowning moments before holding her captive."

"…Very curious." I thought aloud, placing my finger upon my lips and scanning the buildings behind Whitaker. "He must have a reason for all this."

"Yes, but do remember he _is_ a pirate." He warned me.

"Oh, of course." I nodded my head, making it look as though I agreed with him. Actually, I was trying to figure this pirate out when my thoughts were suddenly interrupted by another officer calling upon Whitaker. This officer was wearing a blue coat instead of the red one Whitaker wore. I suppose that officer is of a higher rank.

"Excuse me, Miss. Pierce, but I must be going." Whitaker said after checking behind him. "Once again, my sincerest apologies for running into you."

"It was my fault entirely. I was the one busying myself with my own thoughts." I replied. Whitaker opened his mouth to object, but I spoke first. "And don't you dare say otherwise."

"Good day, Miss. Pierce." Whitaker nodded at me. I expected him to depart, but he looked at me with an amused expression playing on his face. I found this a bit odd and, quite frankly, uncomfortable.

In a mental frenzy, I searched my brain for something to say as a distraction, "No more of this 'Miss. Pierce'. I'm just an average citizen. Feel free to call me Evelyn."

"Pardon?" He asked as if being pulled from his thoughts.

I smiled back at his befuddled face. "Please, just call me Evelyn."

"Well I do hope we may cross paths again! If that does ensue, you may call me by my first name as well, Miss. Evelyn." Whitaker smiled back as the joke spilled out of his mouth. I began to giggle, but stopped once his face twisted into a more serious expression. "Please try not to be out on the streets alone and unprotected. Take cover inside a shop for a little while, as most civilians are now doing. Officers will come by to inform the public when the pirate has been captured."

I nodded my thanks and he made his way back towards the other officer. He wanted _me_ to stay safe. I know that's just his job, but it still made me feel special; as though I was of more importance than just an average citizen. A smile followed as this feeling spread throughout my body. Perhaps I've made a friend here in Port Royal after all.

These were the thoughts reverberating throughout my head as I found a shop to slink into. Before walking in, I looked up to see which building I was about to enter.

The Blacksmith's shop does seem like a pretty safe place to hide.


	3. Duel to the Death: Part One

**This was such an epic scene in the movie that I've decided to split it up in order to better draw out that intensity. And thanks for the reviews thus far, I love reading them :)**

**~MisticLight**

~.~.~.~.

J. Brown's Smithy.

It wasn't the most welcoming of buildings in Port Royal, but I suppose it'll have to do. It was the nearest to me…unless I wanted to go back to the chef's shop. That would just be terrible! So without so much as a backwards glance to that _other_ vile place, I grasped the small metal handle and slid inside the Blacksmith's shop.

The daunting doorframe led me into a long room. Although the shop was clearly assembled and kept tidy by men, the whole atmosphere felt homier than what I anticipated. The entire place may have been an organized mess—with only the owner knowing everything's true place—but I instantly felt safe within it's walls.

Directly to my left sat an unstable-looking ramp, and beyond that an enormous fireplace accompanied by a variety of tools. My eyes slowly scanned the remainder of the narrow room until they rested upon a machine at my right. Dangling all around this contraption were swords, hatchets, and even a few daggers. The freshly sharpened metal glinted in the sunlight peeking through a few small windows. The sporadic flashes pained my eyes, forcing my vision to drop to the floor.

Straight away I noticed that the room itself was actually a foot below the entrance. It felt completely unnecessary to me, but what do I know of these things? Perhaps a soft wind can be felt from the gap under the doorway. Whatever works, I suppose.

At any rate, I decided that standing in the doorway wasn't exactly the best way of exploring a new territory. Besides, I should probably find the owner and inform them of my presence. Trying to be dainty, I dropped onto the dirt and hay covered floor with a good and proper _thud_. My embarrassing impact stirred up a few wisps of dust, causing my new brown shoes to appear faded.

I looked around the room once more, and that's when I noticed that boy. His back was to me and he was crouched over a mule, so I couldn't get a proper look at his face just yet. However, I did notice that his hair was brown and it was neatly pulled back into a small pony tail.

Actually, I felt a little embarrassed for not noticing him sooner. I mean, he was virtually right next to me. Even more surprising is how he hadn't heard my landing or noticed me come in. It may have been because he was too focused on calming down the mule hooked up to that large machine.

"Excuse me, sir?" I timidly asked, reaching out a hand to tap the boy on his shoulder.

Immediately the boy, clearly startled from my sudden voice, stepped away from the mule. He brushed away any possible dirt the animal may have given him before finally turning to face me. The boy was to be my age, maybe even a year or two older, and had a well defined face. What struck me most were his eyes. They looked innocent…honest even, which is something you don't come across very often. The shade of brown radiating off of them was the most splendid shade I had ever seen.

"May I help you, Miss?" He asked after a few moments of silence, forcing a simple smile onto his face.

"Umm, yes." I said, shaking my head back into reality. "An officer from outside," I pointed back towards the door, "Said I should find somewhere to hide for a while until they can locate a…pirate." I analyzed the boys face to see if he knew what I was speaking of. His features remained confused for a few moments before suddenly hardening. _I suppose he's heard…_

After a small cough I continued on, "This was the closest shop and I was wondering, well hoping actually, if I could stay here. Just until the officers say it's safe to come out." I quickly added the last bit so he understood that I didn't mean to impose on anything.

"Yes, of course." The boy's sincere face seemed almost worried as he spoke "If there's danger outside, I don't want you to be in it."

"Thank you, sir." I smiled with a slight bow of the head.

"William Turner." The boy, William, added in before I had even finished saying 'sir.'

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Turner. I'm Evelyn Pierce." I nodded again, glad that the introductions were now over with.

"Stay as long as you need to, Miss. Pierce." Will politely replied with a smile. "If you wish, you may sit in the back of the shop and out of harms way until the pirate has been taken care of."

Actually I would've been fine sitting on the steps, but at least now I could be out of the way if Will had some work to finish up. "How very thoughtful, Mr. Turner. Thank you."

He nodded before leading me to the back of the shop. As we approached, the faint sound of snoring could be heard. I tried to peer around Will to find the source of the noise, but I was stopped short when he suddenly looked back at me.

"Do you mind?" He asked, holding the collar of his coat to signal his desire of removing the heavy material.

"By all means." I replied with a smile, not quite understanding why Will needed my permission. He was the one that worked here, I was merely a visitor.

As Will quickly shed his coat, revealing a brown vest with a white undershirt, he continued to lead me towards the back of the shop. The snoring from before became so audible that it easily consumed my thoughts. I wasn't paying attention to anything else, so when Will suddenly stopped, I nearly collided into him.

"Right where I left you." I could practically hear the amused smile on Will's face as he spoke.

Wanting to know what Will was referring to and solving the source of the mysterious snoring, I looked around Will. In the corner of the room sat an older gentleman, sleeping in a chair, with a bottle in his hands. _Well someone's been drinking..._ "Who's that?"

"My boss." Will replied with a chuckle before turning to face me. I didn't quite understand what he thought was so funny. "I'm afraid he's taken the only decently-sized barrel. I'd be happy to find a crate or something else more suitable for you to sit on."

"Don't trouble yourself, Mr. Turner. I can just as easily sit on the steps back there."

Will opened his mouth to protest, but something behind me suddenly caught his eye. His face morphed into bewilderment as he absentmindedly threw his coat to the side and brushed past me. "Not where I left you."

I followed after him to see what he was speaking of _this_ time. His inquisitive eyes danced across a tool. It seemed a bit out of place, just lying there like that, but I still didn't see why it would cause alarm. People accidentally leave items out all the time. "What is it?"

"It's supposed to be hanging up with the others." Will's voice trailed off as even more curiosity befell his face. I opened my mouth to ask why all of this was such a huge issue when Will nodded over at something on my right. "What's that?" I whipped my head around only to see a tricorne hat lying on a table. If Will didn't recognize the hat, then whose was it?

Now I was just as intrigued as he was! I reached out towards the hat and just as I was about to touch it, a sword slapped against my hand. I couldn't contain the squeal from escaping my lips as the cold metal made contact with my skin. After quickly snatching back my hand and lifting my eyes, I felt the color drain from my face and the rate of my heart beat faster at what I saw.

The man now standing before me seemingly appeared out of no where! He was a raggedy looking soul with greasy dreadlocks tucked into a red bandana. Multiple trinkets were weaved into his dark hair and on his fingers, not to mention all the effects he carried upon his waist. However, what stood out the most were the broken handcuffs wrapped around his wrists. The man's sword was drawn and prepared for whatever Will and I decided to do next. Although the weapon wavered between the two of us, the man kept his fierce gaze upon Will.

I let out another faint cry when something unexpectedly grasped my left hand, but it was only Will. He swung me around in order to place himself between me and this threatening newcomer before slowly backing away. I never let go of his hand. "You're the one they're hunting." His voice never even wavered.

"The pirate?" I asked, looking from Will and to the man. He certainly looked like a pirate, and this would explain the broken handcuffs. Still, one can never be too sure.

Either way, my doubts of his piracy were quickly erased when I made eye contact with him. The man's brown eyes glistened as he answered my question with a nod and flashed me a rather…unpleasant smile. I quickly looked away from him and further hid myself behind Will, ignoring the fact that we had met just moments before. Never have I enjoyed the 'damsel in distress' figure and acting that way now wasn't settling in my mind all too well, but this was my first encounter with a pirate. And believe me; it's _far_ more drastic than any of those pirate stories.

The pirate's attention then focused over to Will. "You seem somewhat familiar, have I threatened you before?" The pirate scanned Will's face as our backing came to a halt.

"I make a point of avoiding familiarity with pirates." Will sternly stated after a pause.

"Ah." The pirate said, thrusting his head back and lowering his sword. "Well then it would be a shame to put a black mark on your record. So if you'll excuse me…" The pirate made his leave, and I felt my racing heart start to die down a little. I was still tense, but relief was beginning to fill my body. My shoulders lowered and I let out a small sigh. But this relief was short lived. Before I knew it, Will dropped my hand and reached behind me to grab a sword of his own. My gasp was what made the pirate turn back around.

"Do you think this wise, boy? Crossing blades with a pirate?" The pirates face was amused.

Will raised his sword a little higher. "You threatened Miss. Swann." I backed away from the two men as they spoke. Not getting in the way was probably the only thing I could do to help Will and his rash decision. Upon hearing my movements, Will quickly glanced at me before turning back to the pirate. "And Miss. Pierce."

The pirate looked my way to flash a seductive smile, or at least he attempted to. My face immediately tightened into a look of disgust and I crossed my arms over my chest to better cover myself. The pirate merely raised his brows and cocked his head to the side.

Tightening the grip upon his sword, Will took a threatening step towards the pirate, whose once seductive smile turned into that of an arrogant smirk. Continuing that awful smile, the pirate ran his sword along the edge of Will's. "Only a little."

Instantaneously the swords flew at each other.


	4. Duel to the Death: Part Two

**I love writing duels. It's so much fun! But…I hope I'm doing a good job describing everything. You know…you could always let me know in a review ;)**

**~MisticLight**

~.~.~.~.

As soon as the pirate unleashed the first attack, the swords moved as quick as lightening. From my perspective, the pirate seemed to be winning. He was drawing Will closer and closer to the door, and blocking every attack that came his way. When the back of Will's legs ran up against the first, giant step, he did two quick swipes of his sword. The pirate merely stepped away before coming back into his ready stance. Will recomposed himself too and took the lead of the duel.

I watched the entire swordfight from the shadows of the machine. As Will had been pushed back, I followed along with him. I remained parallel to Will until he got the upper hand. That's when I stopped and actually watched the exchange of swords. The pirate was an excellent swordsman, but Will appeared to be just as good. I was amazed by how well Will was doing this far.

Will pushed the pirate all the way back to where we had first encountered him. Will then thrust his sword at the pirate's right leg, but it was easily blocked. The pirate batted away Will's sword as if he were trying to swat a fly from his face. A small change occurred in the pirate's face, almost as if he were preparing to play some sort of joke on Will.

The pirate lowered his sword. "You know what you're doing. I'll give you that...Excellent form..." Will questionably looked back at me. A compliment was the least thing any of us expected to come out of the his mouth. "But how's your footwork?" Cautiously, both swords were raised once more.

"If I step here-" The pirate continued as he stepped around Will. They were circling one another, both striking at the opportune moment. I made sure to follow Will as he walked to the right, all the while keeping my eyes on the pirate. It almost seemed as though he were testing Will.

"Very good! And now I step again." This time the pirate backtracked to the left. I held my position, knowing that their light footsteps would eventually take them elsewhere.

And I was right. The pirate weaved behind Will, bringing his sword down upon Will's head. But a quick behind the head block lured the pirate off. They now stood on opposite sides the shop: Will was closer to the fireplace while the pirate stood closer to the door. They both paused in their little duel…test…thing for a moment. The pirate smiled over at Will before breaking the silence with an easily blocked lunge.

"Ta!" The pirate nodded his head at the two of us before sheathing his sword and hoisting himself onto the bottom step. He was trying to escape. Will looked back at me, even more confusion making its way onto his face. We both knew he was a dangerous pirate...and also a bit unusual. Either way, he couldn't return back to the streets!

In a panic, I grabbed Will's sword and threw it at the door. I don't really know how it happened, but the sword somehow stuck itself in the door right next to the pirate's head. Will looked back at me with _another _confused expression and, again, the only thing I could offer him was a shrug. Until today, I had never even touched a sword. I suppose luck had finally decided to be on my side for those brief seconds.

Not only had the sword landed awfully close to the pirate's face, but it had also landed just above the door latch. The door couldn't open without the latch moving, and the latch couldn't move unless the sword was removed from the door. The pirate tried to take away the sword, but it wouldn't budge. Behind Will, I confidentially smiled.

The now irritated pirate turned around. His gaze drifted from Will's surprised expression to my sly smile. But that smile didn't last for long as the pirate glared at me. I guess he knew who threw the sword…

"That is a wonderful trick." The pirate said as he advanced towards me. Almost immediately Will threw himself into the pirate's path. He pushed me farther away from the advancing pirate. "Except, once again, you're both between me and my way out." I glanced behind us to see what this pirate was talking about. In the back of the room lay another exit, and, as he said, we were the only obstacle he had to pass. When I spun back around, the pirate had his sword at the ready. He was now looking directly at Will. "And now you have no weapon."

I guess I didn't think about the outcomes when I threw the sword…oops.

Will reached around and pulled a sword out of the fire. His quick motion made me jump a little, especially with the small train of light following after the sword. As soon as the reddened tip of the sword blazed out in the open, the donkey began walking, therefore starting up the machine. I backed up against the opposite side of the fireplace, away from the duel and away from the machine's motions.

Despite the moving contraption, Will and the pirate started fighting _in_ and around it. Every time their swords clashed, sparks flew from the end of Will's sword. The pirate began to get agitated once he noticed that they were equally matched. He forced his sword down upon Will, who, after a bit of a struggle, pushed it away. Will than side swept at the pirate, but the pirate had an unforeseeable weapon. The manacles he wore wrapped around Will's sword. So when the pirate threw his arm back, Will's sword flew out of his grasp.

Once again, Will was without a weapon. He leapt into the machine to avoid any attack from the pirate and quickly picked up another sword. Actually, there were swords _everywhere_. Even from where I was standing there was a pile of swords. If I could, I'd grab a sword myself and jump in to help. Although I feel as though I'd only get in the way with that option too.

"Who makes all these?" The pirate asked, drawing my attention back to the duel. He was admiring all of the weapons while, at the same time, fighting Will. The pirate had been on the center poll of this mechanism, and now he and Will swapped places.

"I do." Will proudly said before swinging to the other side of the poll to fend off the pirate. "And I practice with them," The pirate threw a hatchet at Will, but Will swung to the other side again "Three hours a day." So that explains the hidden sword fighting skills.

"You need to find yourself a girl mate." The pirate cockily announced. He swung at Will a couple more times before backing up towards the entrance again. On his way, the pirate grabbed a hatchet and threw it at the oncoming Will. Will quickly ducked down to dodge the flying object, picked up a sword, and faced the pirate again. He crossed his two swords above his head, catching the pirate's single sword at the top. The pirate took this as an opportune moment to speak. "Or maybe the reason you practice three hours a day is that you already found one, and are otherwise incapable of wooing said strumpet." The pirate's eyes searched the room until they met mine. He nodded my way, a very untoward glint in his eyes, but then his face became twisted. Almost as if he was going to be sick. "You're not a eunuch, are you?" If my own face scrunched up at that statement, there's no telling what Will's expression was like.

"I practice three hours a day so that when I meet a _pirate_, I can kill it." Will spat back before aggressively swinging at the pirate, who backed up onto the ramp. As Will leapt onto this ramp, the logs keeping it in place broke. The ramp began to move, but, surprisingly, both men were able to keep their balance and fight the other. And the more they fought, the farther the ramp moved. I inched closer to the battle. This was going to end badly.

Eventually, Will was able to use the pirate's manacles against him. He wrapped one of his swords around the chain and thrust the weapon upwards into the ceiling. The pirate, with one hand forcibly in the air, continued to swing at Will, but missed every time. Obviously this was getting him nowhere. The pirate looked down at the wooden ramp, stepped on a loose board, and sent Will flying backwards.

As I rushed over to Will, I took quick notice of the pirate. His legs were pushing down from the rafters above him in an attempt to free his hand. "Are you-?"

"I'm fine." Will interrupted me with a shake to his head. I helped him to his feet and then backed up so I was once again out of the way. Will walked right back onto the ramp just as the pirate freed his arm. His body came slamming down onto one side of the ramp, making the other side shoot up. And guess who got launched up because of it?

I emerged from the shadows to see where Will had landed. I squinted up into the rafters until I realized something rather terrifying: I was now alone…with an armed pirate…

My breathing picked up once this notion crossed my mind. I darted my eyes around the room as a means to find some way of protecting myself. The only plan I could come up with was to lead the pirate back to where Will's boss was…sleeping. Once we were close enough, I'd grab the man's bottle and use that. It was much more complex than just grabbing a sword, but I honestly didn't know the first step of handling a blade.

I looked back at the pirate to see if he had recovered from his fall. He had, but he wasn't the least bit interested in me. His eyes were scanning the rafters, looking for Will. I let out a slow breath in order to calm down a little bit. Well as calm as someone _could _get in the presence of a pirate. Suddenly a huge weight fell from the ceiling and landed on the ramp. My nervous instantly skyrocketed back up at the sound of the collision. So much for calming down…

The weight had surprised me, but not nearly as much as it surprised the pirate. The sudden shift in weight had caused the pirate to be lifted up into the rafters, just as Will had been. I watched the two men jump across a pair of beams until Will picked up the pattern and halted. Their duel quickly picked up from where it left off, except this time from amongst the beams. To my greatest pleasure, Will was able to make the pirate's sword come clattering to the ground. I quickly ran over the weapon and stashed it near the pirate's hat. The hiding place was so obvious that it would be difficult to find.

Immediately after it was hidden, I heard something plop in front of me. I knew who the pair of boots standing before belonged to even before I looked into the owners face. Terror spread across my body as he looked down upon me. A small shiver was sent down my spine as I began to move away from him. This was hastened by Will grabbing me by the elbow and pushing me to his right on his charge towards the pirate.

Everything happened so fast after that. The pirate grabbed a bag near him and squeezed some of the powder out just before Will could reach him. This powder temporarily blinded Will, giving the pirate the advantage. He kicked Will's sword across the room and jumped down onto the ground level. Will was able to find another tool to defend himself with just as the pirate whipped out his pistol. I rush forward to try and offer some sort of help, but Will's sidelong gaze stopped me. He wanted me to stay put, and, even though it was against my current mindset, I followed his silent directions.

"You cheated." Will said as soon as his eyes locked with the pirate once more.

"Pirate." The pirate stated matter-of-factly.

The front door of the shop unexpectedly jolted forward. Grunts of men trying to break in could be heard on the other side of the doorframe. _Now_ the military decides to show up.

The pirate looked over his shoulder in alarm. His wide eyes swooped past my face on their journey back to the only exit left in the shop. And he would have bolted straight for the door, had Will not placed himself into the pirate's way. "Move away." The pirate demanded.

"No." Will said, his eyes flickering between the pirate, the door, and myself.

"_Please_ move."

"No!" Will firmly shouted. He was brave, I'll give him that "I cannot just step aside and let you escape."

The pirate readied his pistol, causing my blood to run cold. "This shot was not meant for you." Will, in a state of confusion, tilted his head to the side.

_He _may not be able to step aside and let the pirate escape, but _I_ can't just stand here and let him die. I didn't care if the entire town of Port Royal got upset with me for letting the pirate escape; I was going to take charge. I full on sprinted at Will and tackled him to the ground. When the dust cleared, the pirate lied before us, out cold. Behind him stood a short, ugly man; Will's boss no doubt. In his hands…a broken bottle.

Perhaps I should have used the bottle when I first thought of it…

As soon as the door was kicked down and the military came storming in, Will stood up. The soldiers quickly surround the pirate, their guns pointed at the unconscious man.

"Excellent work, Mr. Brown." A man in blue told the short man. This officer had a far fancier coat compared to the other officers in blue, and his hat held more feathers. "You've assisted in the capture of a dangerous fugitive."

"Just doing my civic duty, sir." Mr. Brown slurred, obviously still drunk. My mouth dropped. It was very unladylike of me, but Mr. Brown was taking _all_ the credit for confining the pirate. I wanted to tell the truth to this high-ranking officer, but I held my tongue. Will hasn't mentioned anything about the battle yet, so why should I?

"Well, I trust this is the day you will always remember as the day Captain Jack Sparrow _almost_ escaped." I swore I could see a smile pulling at the corners of this officer's mouth. There was some hidden reference between him, the pirate, and that statement. He quickly turned to his fellow soldiers. "Take him away."

A couple of soldiers lifted the pirate up and dragged him out of the shop. Will showed two other officers to the remainder of the pirate's equipment. But there was one soldier who ignored the whole pirate fiasco in general and, instead, walked over towards me. It wasn't until this officer's hand was sticking out in front of my face that I realized I was still on the ground. Embarrassed, I meekly took the officer's hand and allowed him to hoist me up.

"Thank you, sir." I mumbled before brushing the dust off of my dress. I had been giving my thanks to many people within this last hour.

"Must we always meet this way, Miss. Evelyn?" The officer happily replied. A smile came to my lips as I recognized his voice. "That is to say, you consistently ending up on the floor."

"Mr. Whitaker, it's so good to see you!" I greeted, the relief of this whole ordeal finally sweeping over me.

"As it is with meeting you again, Miss. Evelyn." Whitaker said with a polite nod. "How is it you turn up inside the shop _with _the pirate?" An amused smile was now planted on his face.

"Just luck, I assume." I shrugged, making Whitaker laugh in the process. I didn't laugh with him. It's not that I found our conversation this far bothersome; I just had other things on my mind. I gazed slightly beyond Whitaker's left arm and made eye contact with Will. His face showed relief, but his eyes held another mood altogether. They looked sad, hurt even. The longer I looked, the more my heart went out to him. Will deserved at least _some_ credit for dealing with the pirate.

"Miss. Evelyn, is something wrong?" I hadn't even noticed that Whitaker had stopped laughing.

"Yes, actually, there is." I said after drawing in a big breath. I began my brief explanation as I led him over towards Will. "You see, Mr. Whitaker, what you partially witnessed upon your entry was only a small portion of what actually took place today. It's true that Mr. Brown was successful in knocking out the pirate, but that was all he did." By now we had reached Will, who was looking down at me with more confusion. That same face was all he seemed to look at me with today. But it's not that awful. Will just hasn't figured me out yet. "It was Mr. Turner here who made sure that pirate—Jack Sparrow was his name?—didn't escape out onto the streets. He risked his life to secure the safety of this town as well as my own."

Whitaker turned towards Will, bafflement written all over his face. "Is that so, Mr. Turner?" Will looked to me first before nodding his head. Whitaker straightened himself up a little more before continuing on. "Then on behalf of Port Royal, I thank you." Either Will was a rather trusting fellow here in this town, or Whitaker already trusted me after only seeing me twice because he didn't ask for any proof to confirm the case I presented.

Will replied with a slight smile and a nod to signal his thanks. I was upset that this was all Will received, but, then again, that was all Mr. Brown had received. And at least someone else now knows what Will did for the town today. I suppose that was an accomplishment within itself.

"There's still orders that have to be filled out." Mr. Brown suddenly called from the back of the shop, signaling that he wanted everyone out. His lack of grammar and length of some words over others proved how drunk he still was. I doubt Mr. Brown would be doing any work today. Once again I looked over to Will, but this time we exchanged small smiles. This was probably the exact same thing Will was laughing about earlier today when I had first laid eyes upon his unconscious boss.

"Come along, Miss. Evelyn." Whitaker motioned as he walked towards the door. "Shall I escort you back to your lodgings?"

"Yes, just wait one moment." I called back, my eyes never leaving Will. I wrapped my arms around him in an embrace. It certainly wasn't the 'proper' thing to do since I had just met him, but I didn't really care. He had protected me, a woman he hardly knew, from a pirate. I really don't think there is a 'proper' way of expressing thanks after something like that happens. "Thank you, Mr. Turner." I whispered before backing up a little, a wide smile on my face. "And make sure to wash up a little before going back to work. You have a little bit of dirt…everywhere."

"As you wish, Miss. Pierce." Will chuckled.

I did a small curtsy before joining up with Whitaker. He escorted me out into the town and began speaking of another pirate encounter he had experienced not so long ago, but I really wasn't paying much attention to it. Instead, I was looking back at the Blacksmith's, trying to catch one last glimpse of Will. To my surprise, he hadn't even moved from the spot I had left him. In fact, he was looking right back at me. We held the others eyes until I rounded a corner. Then I saw him no more.


	5. Rain

**Woah! I just noticed I basically put a smiley face in all my author notes so far. I feel like that's a bit childish? Maybe? Eh, whatever. I'm not even sure everyone reads the bolded words at the top of the page anyways.**

**As always, feel free to leave a review!**

**~MisticLight**

~.~.~.~.

Whitaker and I walked in silence under the late afternoon sky, our shoes clicking upon the cobblestone. Before, my companion had been chirping away like a bird on a hot summer's day. Now, he seemed to have lost his song. I hope he hadn't taken my silence as a sign of me being uninterested in his stories. I'm just naturally quiet.

"If we turn right at the next road, we'll reach the Inn I'm staying at." I said in an attempt to break the silence "I can't quite remember the name of it, but I do know what the sign looks like." Whitaker nodded but still didn't respond, causing me to nervously bite my lip. This wasn't going very well.

However, things became even more apprehensive for me when we finally reached the street. Rather than turning, Whitaker continued walking forward. He didn't even look down the road! Well, Seeing as our arms were linked, I had no choice but to tag along with him.

"Umm, Whitaker? The Inn is that way." I meekly said pointing to the right.

He smiled confidently, "I am well aware of that."

"Then why are we still walking?" I inquired, unlinking our arms and coming to a halt. Whitaker was quick to turn and face me, his confident smile from before suddenly fading. I crossed my arms and waited for some sort of explanation from him.

"Well, I wasn't exactly sure if you were up to it, what with the pirate at the smithy's and all," He began, rambling off a bit, "Nonetheless, I do hope you'll accept if I invite you to dine with me this evening."

My whole body instantaneously went numb. No one has _ever_, not once in my entire life, asked me this sort of question before. As my arms slowly dropped to my sides, my mouth quivered with the word I so wanted to answer him with: _Yes! _ But I simply couldn't form it. This, I assume, gave me the appearance of just blankly staring ahead because Whitaker somehow took this as a reason to further explain himself.

"There is a fine Italian restaurant near the beach I am quite fond of, if you wish to join me. Currently I am on leave of duty in order to eat a proper dinner, so I'll be going there regardless. I would very much like for you to accompany me, even though we've only just met. Besides, I know you've had a tiring day and-"

"Yes." I softly said.

"May need some rest. We can't have you falling asleep after the day's burden of a _pirate_." He continued on as though he hadn't even heard me. "Surely the excitement of the day has frightened a dainty young woman such as you from reentering the city for the night. There couldn't possibly be-"

"Whitaker!" I shouted this time so as to grab his attention. As he glanced my way, I couldn't help but smile back. "I will gladly accompany you to dinner."

Whitakers face lit up under the glow of his returning smile, "Really?"

"Of course." I nodded before linking arms with him once more.

As Whitaker led me to this restaurant of his, my thoughts jumped between his amusing childhood stories and the words he had just spoken. _'Frightened a dainty young woman such as you'_? I would hardly call myself a _dainty_ woman, and I'm not frightened by this brilliant city in the least. Well…perhaps I was a bit fearful after today's events at first, but now I'm actually _excited_ to see what happens next. Not 'tired' and 'in need of rest' as Whitaker assumes.

Although flattered by Whitaker's kindness, fully knowing he was trying to be charming with his statement, I found my thoughts drifting elsewhere. Back to that blacksmith, William Turner. What would his thoughts be about all this?

"You pick the table." Whitaker said, startling me with his sudden loud voice. We had arrived at the restaurant without me even noticing...hopefully Whitaker hadn't picked up on that.

"Hmmm" I hummed, scanning the deserted restaurant "That one outside, nearest to the beaches."

"Are you sure? It looks as though it might rain."

"A little rain never hurt anyone." I shrugged before allowing Whitaker to lead me to the table. As a gentleman should, he pulled the chair out for me and pushed me back into place before sitting on the opposite side. Not long after that, a waiter took our orders and we were left alone.

"Are you new to Port Royal?" Whitaker asked me. "I don't believe I've seen you before."

"Yes, actually, I am. I crossed over from England just a few days ago."

"What made you decide to come here? I'm sure England has bragged of the beautiful scenery and warm climate, but why Port Royal?"

"Well," I pondered for a second, shuffling over how much of my background to share with him. "This was the farthest place from England that still retained English influence. Honestly, I just wanted to escape from my family. With no siblings and my father dying when I was young, my mother has been simply _unbearable_. Being one of those uptight Englishwomen, she never really agreed with anything I did. You see, I'm more of a person who'll bend the rules a little bit…" The words fell right out of my mouth before I could stop them. How dense I am to say such things in front of an _officer_. "Oh, I'm sorry…What I actually meant was…oh shoot." A blush began to color my cheeks, but I easily covered it behind my hands.

Whitaker simply laughed. "Its fine, Miss. Evelyn, I understand your meaning."

"Please call me Evelyn." I sighed, nearly slamming my hands back onto the table. "I'm not exactly used to the whole _Miss._ Evelyn title." Whitaker smiled uneasily. "I mean it."

Shortly after that, our meal arrived. We chatted throughout the entire course, and still had much to talk about when we finished. Despite the threat of rain, we decided to walk along the beach's shore. My shoes were off the moment my feet graced the sand.

We walked along side one another, picking up the conversation we had started back at the restaurant. "Why did you join the military anyway?"

"Originally, my parents enlisted me. I never wanted to join. In all honesty, and much to my parents' horror, I wanted to be a pirate in my youth." Whitaker laughed at his statement, memories clearly entering his mind. "When I threatened to run off and find a crew to join, they forced me into the military."

"What changed your mind about your new occupation, then?" I asked, allowing for some ocean water to surround my toes. "You seemed pretty fierce towards that Pirate earlier today."

He shook his head. "No, now is not the proper time to tell you."

"Well, you've already begun your tale…" I mumbled before looking up into his eyes. "Please?"

I didn't want to force Whitaker to tell me something he wasn't comfortable with, but by now I was curious about him in general. So a guilty happiness welled up inside me when Whitaker took a deep breath and agreed elaborate.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Evelyn, but there was a girl I once loved. She helped me discover the joys of being in the military, and made me promise never pursue piracy. At first I agreed to her terms in jest, but that all changed one day when she and her family took a trip to France." He paused in his story to stare longingly into the ocean. For support I grasped his hand. I hadn't meant to cause him such pain.

Whitaker had to take a deep breath in order to continue. "Upon their return voyage, they were attacked by pirates. She, along with every soul upon that vessel, was murdered on the spot. When word of the incident reached Port Royal, everyone assumed I would seek some sort of revenge. But I stayed in the military. I made a promise to her, Evelyn, and I don't intend on breaking it."

We walked in silence for a while, holding hands as we did so, until I finally found some words to say to him. "I respect you, Whitaker." He looked over at me with confusion, but I didn't dare look him in the eye. I felt too guilty. "You've kept a promise all these years, and have not once succumbed to the temptation of revenge. That's quite admirable of you."

This time I allowed myself to look up at him, and I'm sure guilt was evident on my face. I was surprised to see a smile planted upon Whitaker's remorse features, and somehow I found my respect for him growing even more. He seemed touched by what I had said, but was unable to express this to me. Not because he was at a loss for words, but because the rain had decided _this _would be the moment to finally make its appearance.

The sprinkles one would normally expect a rainfall to start with never appeared; just instantaneous pouring rain. I screamed from the surprise of it all and quickly ran towards a dock we had passed earlier. I pulled an amused Whitaker behind me, but it didn't take long for his military legs to kick in and pass me by.

We nearly shot under the shelter of the dock to escape the rain, and thankfully the sand beneath it was still relatively dry. Whitaker shed his red jacket and spread it out upon the sand, creating a dry space for us to sit on.

"My apologies for the rain," Whitaker murmured, taking a seat next to me. "I should have been paying more attention to the skies."

"This isn't your fault, Whitaker! You can't control the weather! Besides, I'm the one who asked you to finish your story in the first place." I said, pulling my legs to my chest. "None of it really matters anyways." I chuckled despite our situation. "I've always liked the rain."

"I've always liked the rain, too." Whitaker whispered, taking my hand in both of his. His thumb comfortingly traced the backs of my palm, making the drumming of the rain seem as though it were a melody made especially for me. I slowly leaned my head against his shoulder, ignoring what was 'proper' and what wasn't for the time being. I was completely entranced by the mood nature created for us.

We stayed this way until the rain finally stopped. I'll admit: I didn't want it to.


	6. Pirates!

**Yes, I realize the last chapter didn't exactly have "Will Turner/OC" stuff in it. That was just there to complicate the plot a little. You know, add an extra layer? Have no fear though! I have many plot twists planned for you all.**

**Reviews make me happy! Just saying... hehheh.**

**~MisticLight**

~.~.~.~.

Cannons fired and smoke filled the air. I could hear the terrorizing sounds in the distance: women screaming, children crying, swords clashing. Only one thing could possibly cause all this… _Pirates_.

The thought left me feeling numb. I dared not to move. That is until the owner basically shoved me out the door. "For your safety," he had said before suggesting I run straight for Fort Charles. He assured the Royal Army would protect anyone who entered those walls.

My terror-stricken mind may not comprehend much at the moment, but it was able to settle on one thing: I had to stay off the streets. There was no telling what these pirates would do! So I pushed aside my fear for the time being and ran.

I kept to the shadows as much as possible; ducking behind trees, buildings, and any other massive object I came across. This plan was working rather well, until I ran reached the center of town. Those awful sounds were even louder here, so I flattened myself against the last building of the city square and peered around its corner.

The main strip was _covered _with tattered pirates, and I was out of places to hide. Anything that couldshield me was either in the process of burning or had already turned to ash. The straight path that shouldlead to the Fort had become a maze of confusion as once peaceful citizens sprinted every which way across the street. Every alleyway had pirates lurking in the dark, waiting for their next victim, while the open proved to be even worse. These pirates were terrorizing these citizens and burning down buildings, laughing as they did so. An explosion sounded as their black ship launched yet another cannon onto the weakening town. No place was safe.

Well, perhaps there was one place…

I trickled my eyes to the signs above. Two stores up on the right I spied the one indicating J. Brown's Smithy, the place I had been when that Jack Sparrow attacked. Where a young William Turner, a boy I barely knew, protected me from harm. Surely he'd know what to do, especially with all those weapons he had in there.

I picked up my feet and ran for the blacksmiths, praying that Will was still inside to assist me. I reached the shop without any difficulties and threw myself inside, quickly slamming the door behind. I leaned up against the wood, trying to catch my breath, before looking around. My gaze didn't travel too far though as my eyes immediately latched onto the sword pointed directly at my face.

With my thoughts jumping straight to _pirate_, I tensed up under the blade, until I realized that the wielder was none other than William Turner. When he noticed it was only me, he lowered his sword. "My apologies," he said as he fastened a hatchet into his belt loop. "I thought you were a pirate."

_I hadn't thought about that… _I mentally scolded myself. However, that wasn't the point. "Mr. Turner, do you remember me? I'm Evelyn Pierce. I was here earlier when you fought that pirate, Jack Sparrow?"

"Yes, of course. How could I forget?" Will nodded. A smile spread across my face. _He remembered me! _Now wasn't the time for such foolishness, though, and my smile fell. _I don't care about that! … I think._ "Why are you not in Fort Charles?"

"I couldn't reach it! With all those pirates outside chasing around civilians, I didn't think I could make it there in once piece. Not with all those cannons and fighting… screaming… wailing… scraping metal…" My eyes darted around the room, sheer panic overwhelming me. I took to biting my lip so as to prevent myself from stuttering any further. _Just breath, Evelyn. Breath._

Will granted me a few moments to steady myself, all the while wearing a thoughtful yet worried expression. "Do you know how to handle a blade, Miss. Pierce?"

The question rattled me. _A sword? Really? Women don't handle those sorts of things_. Then again, the thought of actually being able to defend myself was rather intriguing… I liked it. Rather than voice my take on the matter though, I settled for a simple head shake.

"I didn't think so, and there's no time to teach you anything…" Will mumbled to himself, running a hand through his hair as he thought. His gaze landed on the extra hatchets hanging on the wall. He quickly snatched them up along with a small belt of sorts. "Only use these when absolutely necessary." He sternly commanded before tightening the belt around my hips and attaching the weapons.

Never before had I carried such deadly items, and I marveled at each one. My fingertips traced the top of one of the hatchets. The steel was cool, but I was more chilled by the deadly potential it carried. Just before I reached the pointed tip, Will seized my hand. The action startled me and sent a tingling sensation right to my stomach.

"Stay close to me." He commanded before leading me back onto the dangerous streets. We had barely crossed the threshold before Will dropped my hand to throw one of his hatchets at a passing pirate chasing after a woman. The pirate died on the spot. Without missing a beat, Will picked his hatchet back up, put it into his belt, and went on to the next threat. I was quick to follow after him into the heat of battle.

Guns fired all around me, cannons blasted in both directions, people gasped their final breaths. All of this right before my very eyes! I simply couldn't handle it as well as I thought I'd be able to.

Covering my ears, I slumped to the floor and closed my eyes. I just wanted this all to go away. For a brief moment, yes, fighting for my own protection sounded enjoyable. But being in the middle of it was simply too much. I couldn't control myself. Couldn't…

Suddenly someone from behind forced me to my feet by yanking on my hai. I yelped, but my pain was covered by the cries of others. Everyone was fending for themselves, so no one cared to even look my way. Not even when I felt someone breathing into my ear. "What's the matter, girly? You _scared_?"

He was mocking me, knowing I'd be just as defenseless as all the other women here. I might as well be too because my hatchets were altogether useless since this pirate had pressed himself so close to me. Any sudden movement may give him reason to suspect something. However, I still had my wits.

I swung my elbow back into his chest, but even the hard impact didn't faze him. My next move was his feet. I stomped down onto his left foot, using all my weight as I did so. This only caused the man to laugh. "That the best ya 'ave, girly?"

I really did not like his nickname for me. My face remained firm as one final plan unfolded in my head. "No." I boldly said before kicking him right under the knee. He immediately let go of my hair and fell to the ground with a pain-filled scream.

Now free, I flew from the spot in search of Will. My drive to find him was so strong that the miserable factors around me no longer bothered me. When I did finally spot him, he was across the street and occupied with another pirate using a grapple of sorts. I sprinted at him.

I nearly tripped over my feet when the pirate turned the tables on Will. He reeled Will in with his grapple before pulling out a hatchet and bringing it close to Will's face. My eyes wondered all over the place, trying to find some way to help him out. Then I remembered my hatchets. After carefully pulling one out, I tossed it at the pirate in the hopes that my aim would be just as spot on as it had been before. Unfortunately, it wasn't. Rather than hitting the pirate, the hatchet crashed through a far-off window. _That's it! I've killed him! The only person willing to repeatedly help me and this is how I repay him?_

Luckily some sort of explosion from inside the building made the sign above him swing down. The pirate was flung into the burning building since Will had ducked out of the way. He then hopped off the stairs and, after spotting me, advanced my way, but then he abruptly stopped. Something from behind me had distracted him. Judging by his face, it was something rather troubling. I looked over my shoulder to try and see what it was, but all I saw was mass chaos.

I turned back around to walk over and ask him about it, but instead found myself gazing at yet _another _pirate. We made eye contact, and that's when he decided to charge. I hurriedly backed away, but this did me no good as I tripped over something and fell to the ground. The pirate smiled at my distressed state and raised his sword. Quickly thinking, I waited until he came closer before kicking him in the place no man wishes to be harmed. He toppled over in pain, but only fell to his knees. He was still very much active, and tried to reach for a hidden weapon at his side. So I stood up and punched him in the face before anything could happen. I'd always wanted to do that… although I wasn't quite expecting the pain of it.

Shaking out my hand, I turned my attentions back towards Will. He hadn't even moved from his spot! Except now he was squaring up against a new pirate. Actually, he wasn't a new pirate. In fact, he closely resembled that of the pirate Will had first killed.

_How bizarre… _I thought as I watched their encounter. Will was just about to raise his sword when some pirates carrying a cart of treasure rolled by. The one at the front took one of the items and whacked Will across the head. He plummeted to the ground and did not get back up.

Now it was my turn to save _him_. The familiar pirate was long gone by the time I reached Will. I kneeled over him, my hands feverously shaking his chest.

"Mr. Turner?" I softly said. No response. "Mr. Turner!" I raised my voice, thinking this would grab his attention. Nothing. "_Mr. Turner!_" I yell into his unmoving face, and still there was no response. At this point I about had it with formalities; this entire situation was too big for that. "William!" I moved my shaking up to his shoulders. His head rocked more, but other than that he didn't budge. "_William Turner!_" This time I screamed right into his ear, and yet there was still no movement.

"Oh Will." I sighed with defeat, sliding back onto my knees. My eyes traced his entire body before resting upon his chest. It was moving; rising and lowering, just as it should when a person breaths. Breathing is good. Breathing means he's still alive. This calmed me down slightly.

The only other thing I had to worry about now was removing Will from the middle of the street before someone killed him… or me. I tried picking him up by the shoulders, but my weak self didn't get very far. I looked around to make sure there weren't any pirates nearby, thankfully there wasn't. I let out a sigh of relief, but then I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head.

This flash of pain quickly enveloped my entire head. I reached my hand back to check for blood, but there were four hands by the time I brought my arm back around. The town began spinning. I couldn't focus on anything except the darkness trickling into my vision. I vaguely made out the form of a man running. Whether it was to or away from me, I couldn't tell. Regardless, I tried to reach for one of the hatchets. Instead I ended up falling onto Will's chest. The last thing I remembered before becoming completely unconscious was the up and down motion of his breathing.


	7. And the Adventure Begins

**We had the pirate attack, but now the real adventure begins! Yes, I realize I basically just restated my title chapters, but bear with me! I'm only trying to think of creative ways to make people review. I LOVE even numbers, so it would be splendid if someone always tried to make my reviews that way :)**

**Happy Reading!**

**~MisticLight**

~.~.~.~.

I felt someone lift me and take me somewhere. I couldn't fight back or even open my eyes. Basically my mind wouldn't listen to me. I could only feel myself dangling in someone's arms. It was a strange feeling, and utterly terrifying since I couldn't fight back. But then this person sat me down against a building or wall of some sort and started to shake me.

I wanted to wake up, but my body wouldn't let me. I wanted to open my eyes and see who was this person was, but my eyes still wouldn't open. A noise then formed, resembling that of "Mefdawen."

_Mefdawen?_

More shaking, more "Mefdawen's" until finally the "Mefdawen" transformed into "Evelyn." Someone was desperately calling my name. I recognizing the voice immediately and opened my eyes. I would be lying if I said I wasn't glad to see the blurry figure of Will staring down at me.

"Finally," he smiled with a relieved sigh. "I was beginning to worry."

I looked behind him and saw the pirates were now gone. It was morning. A few loose chickens walked about, and numerous piles of loose items were scattered across the street. Citizens and a few soldiers were everywhere. A man nearby was stacking wooden debris into a pile of junk with a loud _crack_. I twitched at the sound because it reminded me of the gunfire from last night.

"I know you're a little weak right now," Will continued, drawing my attention back to him. "But I need to go to the Fort, and I'd rather not leave you here alone." He pointed to a tall stone building nearby.

"Why must we reach Fort Charles, exactly?" I asked as he helped me on my feet. When he let go, I nearly fell over, but Will caught me and helped to steady myself. "The danger has already passed."

"A… friend of mine was taken by the pirates last night." He murmured, tapping the steel portion of the hatchet he held in his hand.

_So that's what distracted him, _I thought before nodding my head. "Then we must make haste."

He took my hand and quickly led me into the Fort. There were very few wooden doors inside the building, only opened archways. I assumed this was so the Caribbean winds could more easily cool off the soldiers. I mean, they were wearing those awfully stuffy uniforms all day. We passed through the center of the Fort, which was just a wide-open space left for citizens to watch public hangings. I shivered at the thought of such a cruel activity.

There were far more soldiers than I expected marching about the Fort. Some were repairing weakened bricks, while others cared for wounded citizens. A few were simply standing guard. Either way, a man wear a red uniform was always in my line of vision. I tried to find Whitaker, but to no avail.

Will dropped my hand once we reached a small open building with six men inside. Only half wore the higher ranking color of blue, two bore that of red, and the final man was distinctly the Governor. His wig was enough to clearly give that title away.

Noticing my analytical gaze, Will pointed towards one of the men in blue who had his hat off, "That's Commodore Norrington. You may recognize him as the man who commanded the capture of that pirate."

"Oh," I breathed upon recognition. "And he will be the one to retrieve your friend?"

"He better," Will practically growled before charging up the stairs. Not knowing what to do, I cautiously followed after him. "They've taken her! They've taken Elizabeth!"

"Your friend is a she?" I questioned a bit louder than I intended. "Is she the Elizabeth Swann everyone has been referring too?" Will glared at me through the corners of his eyes while the Governor figure worriedly glanced at me. I shrugged off both men. _It's not as though I know very many people in this town._

"Mr. Murtogg, remove these two." The Commodore ordered without even lifting his head.

A thin man with a red uniform came towards us. He grabbed my elbow and reached for Will's, but Will shook him off. "We have to hunt them down. We must save her!"

The Governor took a step closer. "And where do you propose we start? If you have _any_ information concerning my daughter, _please_, share it!"

_Ah, she's the Governor's daughter; _I thought rather than spoke this time. _How typical of pirates to take her._

"That Jack Sparrow." Mr. Murtogg said, releasing my elbow. Everyone looked towards him, making him uncomfortably shift. "He talked about the _Black Pearl_."

The fatter man wearing a red uniform somewhat confirmed his statement by adding, "Mentioned it is more what he did."

"Ask him where it is… Make a deal with him. He can lead us to it!" Will said with hope in his voice.

"_No..._" the Commodore sighed. He still hadn't looked from the table. "The pirates who invaded this fort left Sparrow locked in his cell. _Ergo_, they are not his allies." I glanced at Will, pitying the frustration painting across his face. All he wanted to do was save Elizabeth, but this Commodore continuously refused him.

"Governor," he finally looked up, but his attentions were strictly on the Governor. "We will reestablish their most likely course and-"

The Commodore was cut off by Will slamming his hatchet into the table. I nearly jumped into Mr. Murtogg because of the abrupt noise. "That's not good enough!" Will yelled.

"_Mr. Turner_," The Commodore pried the weapon from the table and walked towards him, "You are not a military man, you are not a sailor… you are a _blacksmith_." He harshly grabbed Will by the arm and dragged him to the side of the room. "This is _not_ the time for rash actions." He then whispered something into Will's ear before shoving the hatchet back at him and walking back to the table.

I stared down at a forlorn looking Will from atop the stairs. The longer I gazed, the angrier I became with those under the military jurisdiction. Glaring, I turned my attentions back towards the one in charge. "With all due respect, Commodore, perhaps a 'rash action' is needed if you desire to rescue Miss. Swann _alive_."

The Governor jumped at my statement and looked to the Commodore with wide, panicked eyes. The Commodore, however, simply shook his head and gaped at me. He almost appeared disgusted. "Who are you?"

"My name is Evelyn Pierce, _sir_."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss. Pierce," he sarcastically said before addressing the surrounding men. "Will someone _please _remove this _woman_? She's not even allowed here in the first place."

I had been angry with the Commodore because of his treatment towards Will, but now he was insulting me. Simply because I was a woman! My eyes spat fire at him as Mr. Murtogg reached for my elbow once more. I harshly pulled away, "I can take care of this myself, thank you very much." Without another word, I stormed down the stars until I faced Will. "Let's leave. Those vile men are of little help to _anyone_."

"Agreed," he mumbled as he led me away. Once we were out of earshot, Will whispered to me, "Which is why we need to free Jack Sparrow."

~.~.~.~.

"I'll distract those soldiers." I said to Will when we reached the prison. Our plan was originally to free Jack together, but we had underestimated the number of those on patrol.

"And how are you going to do that?"

My eyes landed upon one of the soldiers who just so happened to be Whitaker. I smiled, "You'll see. Just wait to head for the jail until I... I… flip my hair! Yes! That will be my signal." Will nodded his understanding, so I moved from our hiding spot to the soldiers.

When Whitaker spotted me, his face instantly filled with relief. "Evelyn! You're safe!" He ran over to me, which made the other nearby officers look over at us. I was expecting him to embrace me, not pick me up and spin me around. Confusion was not nearly a strong enough word to reflect the emotion filling me. In fact, I had completely forgotten the sole reasoning behind me meeting up with Whitaker until my feet had firmly been placed back onto the ground.

I briefly glanced at Will, who appeared to be distracted by what he had just witnessed. I wasn't able to read his face entirely though because he quickly snapped out of his trance. Rather than dwell upon it, I gave the signal of flipping my hair. I waited until I saw him enter the jail before turning my attention back to Whitaker. He was rather flushed and sputtering out apologies for his behavior.

"It is completely understandable, Whitaker," I smiled reassuringly at him and gently touched his arm. "I'm sorry for any worry I may have caused you by not making it to the Fort on time."

"Why didn't you come? There were pirates, Evelyn; malicious beings out destroying the industry and lives of civilians. You needed to be _here_, where it was safe."

"Well…" I started, uncertain if I should tell him. His scolding was not something I had asked for, but I had to buy as much time as possible for Will. "I was told to come here, but there were far too many pirates between where I was and Fort Charles. Fortunately I remembered how Wi- … I mean how _Mr. Turner_ had previously assisted me when the former pirate was loose. So I headed for the Blacksmiths, and Mr. Turner agreed to help me. I safely stayed in the shop while he made sure no pirates came inside." I decided not to tell him about the fighting part. There was no need for him to know all that.

A dark expression overcame Whitaker. "I'm concerned with you consistently relying on Mr. Turner, Evelyn. He is an eligible boy who does not necessarily think before acting."

"Excuse me?" I gaped at him. Whitaker was actually trying to control who my friends were. That was _not _acceptable on _any_ terms in my opinion. Especially when what he spoke of only rang as lies in my ears. Although I had known Will for a short amount of time, I knew he was the type of person who carefully thought over everything before pursuing a course. It was absurd of Whitaker to attempt to influence me in such a way.

Except now was not the time to outwardly make a fuss about it. Arguing could potentially lead to my removal and Will's discovery. So I decided to act the way any proper lady would. "My apologies. You are very much correct with your concern, Whitaker. I shall _try _to distance myself from him."

_Try is the key word here, Whitaker darling,_ I mentally scoffed.

He smiled, although a loud crash from the prison quickly wiped that off his face.

"Did you hear that?" A nearby soldier asked. They looked to one another before facing the prison. If they went down, Will would definitely be caught.

"I-I did!" I quickly shouted before anyone got any ideas. They all turned to me. And just in time too because seconds later Will and Jack Sparrow made their escape Will motioned for me to follow, and I quickly nodded. "It came from over there!" I cried, pointing in the opposite direction.

"We'll check it out." Whitaker said. The other soldiers ran ahead, but he lingered to bid me a farewell. He lifted my hand and placed a kiss upon it. "I hope to see you again shortly."

"Absolutely," I smiled at him without knowing if that was entirely true. He then took off after the others. I made sure to wait a few moments before heading after Will and Jack. I sensed an adventure coming on.


	8. Aye! Avast!

**Did you know that eight is my all-time favorite number? Well now you do. Hooray for random facts! Anyway, Valentine's Day passed a few days ago. So here's to all you lovely readers either in a happy relationship or hoping to receive one!**

**Eat lots of chocolate as you read. Because everyone deserves to spoil themselves every once in a while.**

**~MisticLight**

~.~.~.~.

I followed Will and Jack until we reached the docks. Rather than expose ourselves to the numerous patrolling guards, we ducked underneath a nearby bridge. Adrenalin flowed within me the entire time. Never before had I done something this dangerous! Nevertheless, I was happy to be tagging along… despite someone having less enthusiasm.

Will hadn't wanted me to come. He even led me to the Inn I was staying at, but I was persistent. I wanted to go, even if it involved rescuing some girl I didn't even know. The pirate was on my side, surprisingly enough. I suppose he wasn't _all_ that bad then, but one can never to too sure. He's still a pirate. Plus he complained profusely throughout the detour we made to the Inn, and the second detour we then made so Will could get me a sword. The longer he stayed in the open, the greater chance he had of getting caught.

Jack became all smiles, though, when we made our way to our current position. After all, we were about to steal a ship. I'd never stolen anything in my life before. Ever. My mother had forced such morals upon me while I grew up in England, although I'm sure I would have constructed those standards for myself without her help. My father was a drunk. The only positive examples he'd ever given me for living was demonstrating what _not _to do.

Along with not being entirely thrilled about disobeying my values, I wasn't too excited for what followed: sailing. I had a tendency to get seasick. At least I did during my crossing from England. That was my first time on a ship though, so maybe this time will be different…? I'm sure all one has to do is get use to the sea's dance.

"We're going to steal a ship?" Will stated more than he asked. He sounded as panicked as I felt, "_That_ ship?"

"_Commandeer_. We're going to commandeer that ship." The pirate said, pointing to the vessel beside us. "Nautical term."

However, I couldn't help but notice Will's eyes lingering upon a ship already out at sea. My own eyes widened, "Wait… we're notgoing to take the ship tethered to _land_?"

Jack turned to face me, "As your friend has already pointed out, yes, eventually we will take that vessel. The farther one out will be the one we _commandeer_."

I rolled my eyes, "Mr. Sparrow, you're mad."

"So I've been told…" he mumbled before turning his attention back to Will. "We already know of hers, but I have one question about your business, boy, or there's no use going. This _girl_… How far are you willing to go to save her?"

"I'd die for her." Will didn't even need to think before answering. For some deranged reason, his quickness stung me; especially in the heart. I briefly looked to my feet, watching as waves soaked the bottom of my dark cream-colored dress.

"Oh, good," I heard the pirate chirp. "No worries, then."

"Now that only leaves us with one problem, Mr. Sparrow." I looked up, "How exactly do you plan on getting us all the way to that far-off ship without us first being captured?"

He closed his eyes and sighed annoyingly, "Enough of this _'Mr. Sparrow' _business!" he mimicked with a glare, "It will be Captain—Captain is preferred but not required—Jack or nothing at all. As for the matter of the ship…" he paused to grin at me and Will, "Just trust me."

~.~.~.~.

Jack's _brilliant _plan was rather foolish, in my opinion. He led Will and I to a set of longboats and prompted us to crouch beneath one. There was barely any room for the three of us. Being the smallest, I was forced to take the middle position. So I felt especially compacted, but I kept my complaints down to a minimum. The last thing I wanted was to get us caught. Not only would Will and I be arrested for aiding a fugitive, but discovering a woman with _two _men in a hidden place would not travel well with the higher powers.

At length, Jack told us to lift the longboat and shuffle it into the water. To my amazement, an air bubble formed as we went deeper in. I was so awestruck by it that the fact the bottom of my dress was now floating all around me easily slipped my mind. Jack didn't seem to notice, and Will simply didn't address it. I then felt less embarrassed since neither one pointed it out.

"This is either _madness_," Will remarked, "Or _brilliance_."

"It's _remarkable_ how often those two traits coincide." Jack replied rather blasé.

I remained silent. In all honestly, my original take on this plan might have been wrong. With the exception of my dress issue, I now thought it was turning out rather brilliantly. It was quite clever, but I wasn't about to boost Jack's confidence and tell him so.

Just then, something brushed up against leg. As I stepped over the mysterious object, I looked down only to discover it was a crab trap. Jack may have maneuvered around the trap without a word, but I decided to at least send a warning. "Will, watch out for the-"

_Crunch._

I looked back just in time to spot Will's face shift into sheer confusion. When he looked to me, I could hardly contain my laughter. "Too late," he shrugged before attempting to shake the trap off.

He was highly unsuccessful.

~.~.~.~.

Turns out that crab trap became a key factor in hoisting the three of us onto the _Dauntless_—which was the ship's name seeing as it was written across the back. Will swung the barreled side up and around one of the lanterns on the back of the boat. Once it was secure, Jack immediately started to climb. I followed after him, and Will rounded us up. As we climbed, I became more aware of my lack of upper body strength. My arms shook after only pulling myself up two times, and I'm pretty sure I kicked Will because of my slow pace. If it wasn't for the narrow balconies jutting out of the walls, I most certainly would have fallen.

"I think, perhaps, Evelyn, you should stay here." Jack whispered once we were all assembled and crouched at the back of the ship.

I glared at him, "Why?"

"Because you're positively out of breath and do not appear the least bit threatening," he quickly explained.

Although I wanted to retort, my heaving chest and pounding heart were confirmation of his words. So with a slight groan and a wave of my hand, I sent them forward. They stood right away and cautiously maneuvered towards a loud group of sailors. I crawled after them as far as the back mast. That's when I hid from view and listened to whatever was about to occur.

"Everyone stay calm! We're taking over the ship," I eventually heard Jack shout.

"Aye! Avast!" Will then shouted. I hung my head, _What was it Jack said about me not appearing threatening?_

Apparently I wasn't the only one to find Will's words amenable because a group of men were quick to burst into a fit of hysterics. At length though, a man finally spoke up, "This ship cannot be crewed by two men." _No worries, there's a woman here too. _I thought with a grin as the man continued. "You'll never make it out of the bay."

"_Son_," Jack smugly said, his tone practically smiling. "I'm Captain_ Jack Sparrow_… Savvy?"

Shortly after Jack's statement, the men surrendered and Will fetched me. They were lowering their own longboat into the water when I made my appearance. As soon as I was seen, a man in a blue uniform was quick to express his opinion, "Andthey've captured a young woman… _Brilliant_!"

I looked from Jack to Will, my brows furrowing at the officer's assumption. Jack merely growled at the man and jabbed his pistol further into his back. "Keep moving."

"Not when there's a civilian in danger!" He proclaimed before turning to me with an outstretched hand, "Come with us, Miss. We'll take you back to shore."

"Excuse me?" I said with an arched brow. "I am here by choice, sir. So I suggest you keep your mouth shut and get into that longboat." The soldier gaped at me while Will and Jack slightly grinned. I held my gaze with the man for a few seconds until my manners returned. "No disrespect, sir."

Jack didn't even allow the perplexed man to respond before shoving him to the railing. Will simply shook his head, "You may have a frail appearance, but there may be some fight within you."

"Perhaps…" I contemplated as I analyzed his face. "But releasing that possible strength will certainly prove to be a challenge."

We exchanged smiles when Jack reappeared. The events after that went by in a blur. Jack, now dubbing himself as our Captain, started ordering us around to do a variety of strange tasks; such as freely waving part of the rigging up and down. These tasks were not those of a normal crew duty; that much I could tell. As Will and I bustled about though, Jack went off on his own task of correctly disabling the ship so it would not pursue us once we took our main objective: the _Interceptor_.

When the other ship came for us, Will and I were on the lower deck. Immediately we sprinted up the stairs to the wheel where Jack was. "Here they come," Will spoke for us.

All of us turned to the approaching vessel in unison. I'm not quite sure what the others felt as the ship approached, but I, for one, felt guilt. A part of me truly believed I betrayed Whitaker. He may have belittled me within the day we knew each other, but at least he was looking out for my safety… or is this merely an excuse I'm giving myself as a means of explanation of his treatment towards me?

Either way, it didn't matter. I wanted this adventure. Being able to decide my own destiny was one of the reasons I left England and my mother. Whitaker would just have to accept my motives. If not, then our relations might as well end.

~.~.~.~.

Seeing as the _Interceptor _was the fastest ship in the Caribbean, it approached the _Dauntless _in mere minutes. The soldiers aboard threw grapples onto the railings to better bring the _Dauntless _in and so board it. As planks were lowered and soldiers crossed over, Will, Jack, and I swung onto the _Interceptor_. It was then Will and I cut the ropes binding the two ships together while Jack went to the wheel. How fortuitous it was that the daggers from the pirate invasion were still on my person.

We immediately set sail. The entire Royal Navy didn't even notice our flight until the planks between the two ships crashes to the water below. Although the soldiers were slow to notice, they were quick to react. They began shouting all sorts of jumbled orders. One man even attempted to swing back onto the _Interceptor_, but his attempt was futile since we were already so far ahead.

Jack swiftly removed his hat and faced the _Dauntless_. "Thank you, Commodore, for getting us ready to make way! We'd have had a hard time of it by ourselves."

The soldiers were then ordered to openly fire at us. I ducked down, pressing into the side of the ship and placing my hands over my ears. Will crouched as well, but his positioning acted more as a shield for me. Whether it was intentional or not, I'll never know.

Cannons _would _have been the next course for these highly trained men to partake in, but Jack had been one step ahead of them when he disabled the rudder chain. That, apparently, was the reasoning behind the Royal Navy staying put.

Since Will, Jack, and I were out of the Commodore's hands, our next challenge was finding a crew. And Jack knew exactly where to go for that.


	9. Two Civilians and a Pirate

**You know what I've noticed? Whenever someone writes a "Pirates of the Caribbean" story, they never have their character get seasick even though it's most likely the character's first time out at sea. Well, NEWSFLASH, everyone gets seasick. I'm serious (I have personal experience). So guess what? Evelyn is going to get sick, and she _will _be throwing up. This is basically a warning for my more queasy readers, if I have any. I did rate this T… but still, one never does know.**

**Anyways, I hope you all find some enjoyment from this chapter. Let me know what you think in a review! Happy reading!**

**~MisticLight**

~.~.~.~.

I expected to get sick during this voyage, but not as quickly as I did. We'd been sailing for nearly day a when my stomach betrayed me.

At first I was fine. In fact, Will even taught me the basic handlings of a sword! I wasn't very good at it… but at least knowing something put all our minds at ease. As the hours wore on, though, my concentration fell. The world began spinning and the contents of my stomach soon flew from my mouth and onto the floor. It wasn't a pretty sight… or smell for that matter.

Ever since that incident, I was forced to spend my time sitting atop a barrel next to the railing. Jack did not wish to have any more vomit strewn across _his _ship; although technically it wasn't even his ship to begin with. We had taken it from the Royal Navy!

At any rate, Will decided to sit across from me on another barrel to offering some conversation as he sharpened his sword. Jack would periodically pass by as we spoke, fixing some of the rigging and adding a word or two on certain topics. Eventually the conversation turned to the past. Will was especially interested with my history, considering I was relatively new to Port Royal to begin with, but I definitely noticed Jack glance over with interest each time Will inquired something.

I was reluctant to share anything and brushed both of them off numerous times. There was nothing good about my past, and I'd prefer not to tell anyone of it. It was far too embarrassing. Plus I didn't need Will or Jack's sympathy. My past wasn't tragic or anything—really it wasn't—it was just an uncommon, humiliating history.

But after Will's sixth attempt at hiding his curiosity, I gave in. I was sick of the prodding, but more persuasively, his eyes became very endearing. They had somehow _doubled _in size has he pleaded. I didn't even know that was possible.

"All right, fine! You win; I'll tell you," I sighed with a shake of my head. Will's eyes instantly lit up, and I even noticed Jack inch his way a little closer to us. "I'll start off by saying my father is dead. He passed when I was seven or eight. I can't really say I miss him all that much. I'm aware how horrible that sounds, but it's the truth. He was never home all that much, preferring to spend his time at the tables of local pubs and in the beds of local women. Whenever he did manage to stumble his way home, he was always a drunken mess.

"My mother refused to acknowledge any of these problems though. You see, she was the only source of money for my former household, and all by means of inheritance. My family is a line of relatively wealthy people. So the money is distributed amongst each relative on one condition: they must be married. I'm positive the only reason my parents were married in the first place was so my mother could have her money and my father would no longer need to work. The whole thing is rather silly and unfortunate, if you ask me. I mean, I don't think my parents even loved one another. Sometimes I wonder how I was even born!" I laughed, despite Will's obvious discomfort.

"At any rate, my father died drunk. That's all I really know. Nothing… nothing specific." I avoided eye contact with him for a brief moment because I actually _did _know the reasoning behind my father's death. He was the embarrassing portion of my tale, and I honestly wasn't ready to delve into that with Will just yet. "As for my mother, she's the sole reasons I moved to the Caribbean. I learned the skills all women of my age should know, but she was just so strict with me about it. Never once did she offer a compliment or a word of encouragement; just disapproval. She then expected me to do all these things I didn't even wish to do. Sometimes I felt as though she-"

I was unable to finish my complaint as I felt something begin to rise in the back of my throat. My hands instantly pulled my torso over the railing just as a most unpleasant liquid came spewing from my mouth. _I suppose that ends my tale…_

"Bloody hell! Again?" I heard Jack panic from somewhere behind me. I just rolled my eyes before more spitting out more vomit. "I swear, Evelyn, if any of that gets on the side of the ship, I'm sending you overboard to clean it up."

"Just ignore him," Will reassured once I sat on my barrel again. "Even if Jack was serious, I would throw him into the sea before he even touched you." I smiled my thanks, and he continued to sharpen his weapon. "Are you feeling all right?"

"For the time being, yes," I confirmed before shaking my head clear. "However, that's not important. I'm rather curious about _your _past now. I've told my story, so it's only fair for you to share yours. I'm sure it's to be far more interesting than mine."

"Well there isn't all that much to say... At least when compared to you," Will said, his now clouded eyes never once leaving his sword. "When I was a lad living in England, my mother raised me by herself. After she died, I came out here," he temporarily paused, making brief eye contact with me before directing his attention to Jack. "Looking for my father."

He harshly stared at Jack's back for some time, making me feel rather confused and uncomfortable, before slowly trickling his gaze back to me. "I never had the privilege of knowing my father. He was a merchant sailor and always out at sea."

"Is that so?" Jack finally commented as he crossed directly behind Will. I knew something was now troubling Will just by looking at his face.

Cautiously, I reached for his soldier, "Will, is something wrong?" I was hoping to maybe calm him, but my hand hesitated before I even touched him. _Is our relationship strong enough for this type of reassurance?_

None of it really mattered though because Will shot off the barrel as soon as Jack reached the stairs, regardless of my hand. "My father… Will Turner." Jack pretended not to hear him and proceeded to walk up the steps. "At the jail, it was only _after_ you learned my name that you agreed to help. Since that's what I wanted, I didn't press the matter." The pirate began to busy himself with some rope, but Will's sudden presence beside him blocked my view. "I'm not a simpleton, Jack… You knew my father."

Since it appeared imminent that something was about to happen between the two, I decided I best get myself up to the quarter deck and prevent what was to come. With a sigh I slid off the barrel and slowly made my way up the stairs.

_You will not throw up on the stairs. You will not throw up on the stairs. _I mentally chanted as I climbed. Even after I took the last step, I continued my encouragement until I reached the very back of the ship, slumping as soon as my back touched it. Once I was settled, I gazed at Will and Jack, ready to jump in if needed—even if I did vomit in the process.

The men now faced one another with Jack being the first one to break their silence, "I knew him… Probably one of the few who knew him as William Turner. Everyone else just called him Bootstrap or Bootstrap Bill."

"Bootstrap?" Will disgustingly questioned to an empty space, seeing as Jack immediately walked over to the wheel.

"Good man... Good pirate." As soon as Jack said _pirate_, the entire ship seemed to freeze. My toes uncomfortable shifted and I bit my lip. I may not have known Will for very long, but from what I'd gathered, he wasn't too fond of pirates. Actually, no one seemed to enjoy their presence here in the Caribbean; _especially _those living in Port Royal. Nonetheless, as though he didn't sense how thick he'd made the air, Jack quickly turned back to Will. "I swear, you look just like him."

"That's not true," Will corrected before looking at me. "It's not!"

I raised my hands defensively, "I never said it was! Although…" I trailed off, not wanting to state what I had in mind.

"Although _what_, Evelyn?" He nearly spat with anger. Jack spun around to face me, interest clearly written on his face.

"Although Jack may have actually known your father," I regrettably sighed. "His memory would be far better than that of yours as a child, Will."

"Piecing things together to better support my truth? I'm flattered." Jack winked before smugly smiling at Will. "See? I told you she should come."

I glared at the pirate, "I meant logically you're old enough to have known him; I wasn't necessarily supporting you."

He frowned and turned back to the wheel while Will clenched his fists beside be, "No! None of that is true of my father. He was a merchant sailor; a good, respectable man who obeyed the law."

"He was a bloody pirate, a scallywag!" Jack seemed annoyed with Will as he swung another look at him.

"My father," Will threatened as he withdrew his sword, "was _not_ a pirate!"

Once Will pulled his blade out, I knew we were in trouble. Weapons were dangerous tools. Whenever one is made visible, a second is quick to follow. Well, either that or something dangerously unexpected. Either way, I wanted none of it. I tried to stand so I could persuade Will to put down his sword, but my stomach started to feel uneasy. _Please don't do this to me again, stomach!_

Luckily Jack had the same thoughts as me, although he refused to even glance at Will's challenge, "Put it away, son. It's not worth you getting beat again."

_That_ made me mad.

"You didn't beat him!" I cried at the same moment Will said: "You didn't beat me." We looked at each other, shocked we'd chosen nearly the exact same words. Jack, however, still refused to look at the pair of us. Despite this, I decided to ignore my stomach and stand so as to appear more dignified. I mean, I had to say _something _about the incident.

Tightly grasping the side of the ship, I hoisted myself up to better defend my case. "I was there, Captain Sparrow. Remember? You knocked Will with a piece of wood, flung him into the rafters, spilled some sort of soot onto him, _and_ drew your pistol. You cheated!"

"Switching side, are we?" Jack responded, finally turning around. I didn't quite like the smiled he decided to flash me. "You may want to use better words next time you present an argument."

"You ignored the rules of engagement," Will corrected for me; Jack frowned instantly. "In a fair fight, I'd kill you."

"Then that's not much incentive for me to fight fair, then, is it?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Jack rapidly flung the wheel around, causing the ship to veer to the side. The sudden motion forced my relatively weak state crashing to the floor; and just in time, too, because the boom of the sail suddenly glided above my head. However, the pound of the boom hitting something told me _someone _hadn't been so fortunate.

I knew it was Will before I even picked myself up; I just refused to believe it until I saw him dangling over the ocean. Fear shot right through my body when I noticed the struggle he displayed. He was going to fall! With a pounding heart, I crossed to the port-side of the ship.

"Will!" I cried, desperately reaching out to him. My attempts of helping him quickly dwindled though. Firstly, because there was absolutely no way I'd be able to grab him. Even if I did succeed, I severely lacked upper body strength and wouldn't be able to pull him aboard. And secondly, all this quick movement had turned my already churning stomach even more. So rather than figuring out a way to reel Will back in, I found myself leaning _over _the railing to cough out whatever managed to travel from my stomach this time.

Jack took great amusement from the situation before him as I was able to hear his chuckles over the crashing of waves. "Now, as long you two are just _hanging _there, pay attention." I rolled my eyes at his attempt of being funny. "The only rules that really matter are these: What a man _can_ do… and what a man _can't_ do. For instance, Will, you can accept that your father was a pirate and a good man or you can't. But pirate is in your blood, boy, so you'll have to have to square with that someday.

"And Evelyn," he continued, pulling me upright by the, now loose, bun of my hair. "You can either return to the life expected of you by both society and this mother of yours or you can't by becoming a pirate with the lot of us. You've already come this far though, so I suggest you just accept your future as it is."

"I am _not _becoming a _pirate_," I spat, pushing the foul man away. "Nor am I conforming to the will of my mother."

"Ah, but perhaps fate has already made a decision for you," Jack smugly smiled as I tilted my head to the side. "You did say your last name was 'Pierce'? Eh?" I didn't reply; just coldly nodded. A sense of recognition crossed his eyes. "What secrets are you still hiding?"

My eyes briefly widened before narrowing, "I'm not hiding anything."

Jack sent me a look that had me worrying from the inside out before he strode back to his place at the helm to better address Will. "Now, me, for example. I can let you drown and push Evelyn in after you." I snuck a distressed glance back at Will, holding my breath as to what the pirate would say next. "But I _can't _bring this ship into Tortuga all by me onesy, savvy?"

The sigh of relief I released then was probably audible to both men's ears.

"So," he then determined before _finally_ swinging the wheel back around so Will no longer hung above the ocean. As soon as his back smacked against the deck, I rushed over to him. Jack followed, pointing a sword that closely resembled Will's between the two of us. "Can you sail under the command of a pirate?" He flipped the sword around. "Or can you not?"

Will seemed hesitant about agreeing with the man who had, technically, just verbally threatened to kill us, so he looked to me. I studied the handle of the sword and Jack's stern face before sighing and agreeing with a nod. _If we disagree, there's no telling what will happen; especially since we're currently in the middle of the open water…_

So Will took the sword and answered for the two of us, "Tortuga?"

Jack smiled, "Tortuga."

I opened my mouth to say my version of _Tortuga_, but had to run back to the side of the ship again instead. _If this seasickness doesn't stop soon, I may kill myself before we even reach Tortuga's shores._


	10. Tortuga

**I'm on a writing spree today! I don't really know why though… But I included a deleted scene this time! That should be exciting, right?**

**Story time! So I was looking for "Pirates of the Caribbean" stories to read, and of course I specifically searched for Will. Did you know that pretty much no one writes about just Will? It's always Will and Elizabeth, or even a few Will and Jack stories. I didn't search for too long though because I was a little upset and wanted to write this chapter so my story could go to the top of the list (since this website sorts by posted dates). Now people can see that not everyone has to write about Will and Elizabeth or Will and Jack! Yeah! *Throws fist in the air***

**Sorry if I just wasted you life a little bit… but remember, you're the one that decided to read the bolded part ;D**

**In the name of all that is good and decent, REVIEW! More importantly though, Happy Reading!**

**~MisticLight**

~.~.~.~.

We reached the island of Tortuga by nightfall. And thankfully I was able to arrive in once piece! My stomach had _finally_ decided to agree with me shortly after the sail incident, thank the heavens! Now all I had now was a slight headache, but that could be easily dealt with.

The first image of Tortuga I had upon entering the city was a mass population of drunken pirates and prostitutes. All of who were covered in sweat and filth. It was definitely not the prettiest of sights, and highly unexpected on my account. I expected some sort of pirate misbehavior, just not this much! I grabbed hold of Will's arm and held on tight, frightened fingers nearly digging into his skin.

"More importantly," Jack explained, introducing the city he seemed so proud of. Honestly, I hadn't really been paying any attention to him since leaving the boats. I was far more concerned about the pirate following after us, eyeing my every move. "It is indeed a sad life that has never breathed deep this sweet, proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga, savvy?" He grabbed a cane out of the hands of a passing pirate, judging the stick before turning his attention to Will. "What do you think?"

"It'll linger," Will responded after a short pause.

"Ah," the pirate nodded before darting his eyes to me, "and what about you, Evelyn?"

I looked about the space we just entered, presumably the center of the city. Gun shots, cackles, screams, drinking, clinking cups, animals… these were only some of the faults I found with Tortuga. Despite my displeasure, I failed to find the proper words to describe the island.

"It's mystifying," I settled with. The whole place truly was a puzzle.

"I'll tell you, mates," Jack continued, "If _every_ town in the world were like this one… no man would ever feel unwanted."

I wrinkled my nose, _That would be terrible._

"Scarlett!" Jack suddenly cried before running to a red-haired woman. She did not look pleased in the slightest. Actually, she slapped Jack across the face before he could say anything else! The woman then stormed off. "Not sure I deserved that."

I looked pass the pirate as another woman approached, this time a thin blonde with disheveled makeup. When Jack noticed my glance, he spun around. "Giselle!"

"Who was she?" The Giselle woman asked before her eyes trickled to me. Her brows rose, "And who is that?"

"What?" Jack squeezed in before being slapped _again_. This woman then followed after Scarlett. I glared after the pair of them, not at all caring for Jack's admission. "I may have deserved that."

"I'll say…" I grumbled as Jack straightened himself up.

He spun around with eyes narrowed, "Did you say something, Evelyn?"

My grip on Will's arm tightened and I backed behind him slightly. With the Tortuga air, Jack appeared far more intimidating than usual. I hesitantly smiled, "Nothing! Just… lead the way!"

"Right!" The pirate took a step toward a sign simply labeling it as the pub. "We should escape this wretched pit as quickly as possible."

"With a crew!" Will quickly added in.

"Ah, yes. Well it just so happens that you know the man… who knows the man who knows the _finest_ sailors in all of Tortuga."

"There are fine sailors in Tortuga?" I scoffed. However, this only earned me a second glare that I uneasily smiled at.

In his anger, Jack threw his cane back at us before shoving his way into the pub. Will caught the cane before it hit us, examined it, and then gave it to a pirate standing near the doorway. I was unable to see what the pirate did with his new cane though because Will quickly dragged me into the building.

Strangely enough, we walked right through the roaring crowed of drunken pirates and instead exited through a back doorway. The horrendous smell protruding from the crammed alleyway told me Jack was leading us to a pig sty long before I actually saw the filthy shelter. Had I not been clutching Will's arm, I probably would have taken my chances with the rowdy pirates inside the pub.

The strong smell made me gag. "Of all the places in this awful town, why must you lead us to _this _foul place?"

"One gets use to the smell." Jack nodded as he picked up a bucket filled with water. Not knowing what else to do, Will picked up the full one beside it.

A few steps more and we stood before a man sleeping beside three of the largest pigs I had ever seen. Without a moment's hesitation, Jack flung the water in his bucket onto the man.

"Curse you for breathing, ya slacked-jawed idiot!" The man shouted the instant the water hit his face. A dagger was clutched in his hands, which only made me all the more nervous. The man was angry, for obvious reasons, yet his face twisted into a smile when he took in the three of us. Thankfully he lowered his dagger as well. "Mother's love! Jack! You should know better than to wake a man when he's sleepin'. It's bad luck!"

"Ah, fortunately, I know how to counter it," Jack said. "The man who did the waking buys the man who was sleeping a drink. The man who was sleeping drinks it while listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking."

Jack spoke far too fast for me to even register what he had said. In fact, I couldn't even recall there ever being bad luck for waking a sleeping person!

"Aye, that'll about do it," the man agreed nonetheless.

I silently groaned beside Will as Jack helped the man up, "Is he to be joining us then? He smells absolutely horrid!"

"I'll take care of that," Will smirked before tossing the contents of his bucket onto the now standing man. My free hand shot to my mouth, attempting to suppress my growing laughter.

"Blast! I'm already awake!"

Will locked eyes with me for a moment before facing the man, "That was for the smell."

I smiled behind my hand, silently hoping he had done that just for me. But then I came to my senses and shook my head. _Mustn't think that, Evelyn._

~.~.~.~.

The pub of Tortuga: a place where men and women alike come to fight, drink, and quite possibly make love. In other words… a downright dreadful place.

Upon entering the establishment, Jack charged right for the bar to grab a drink for himself and the man we retrieved from the pigs, whose name was apparently Joshamee Gibbs. Jack had offered Will and I a drink, although it was clear he wished to not pay for more, which we quickly denied. By the stench of Tortuga, I could tell the preferred drink was rum. That particular alcoholic beverage was not one I had acquired a taste for. It always burned my throat and made my eyes water.

So as Jack fetched the drinks and Joshamee Gibbs located a table for the pair of them to sit, Will found a safe place for us to stand. Although finding the safest possible spot seemed impossible with all the rowdy fights and boisterous laughter bouncing off the walls. The entire scene made my hold on Will tighten all the more.

Jack approached our settled position near a wooden beam once he acquired his two drinks. He quickly surveyed the area, "Keep a sharp eye."

I didn't even need the warning. Already my eyes darted across the crowded area, finding every rosy-cheeked person a threat. I failed to notice Jack's disappearance to a back table and the pressure I was squeezing onto Will's arm. Not until I heard Will wince, that is. "Evelyn? Would you mind… ?"

"Sorry!" I said quickly before releasing his arm.

Will chuckled, "No need to apologize."

We shared smiles until a frown overtook his face. Without warning he turned towards Jack and Gibbs, clearly attempting to listen in on their conversation. I silently laughed at the sight. _Good luck hearing whispers in this place!_

A pair of hands suddenly wrapped around my waist and pulled me away from the safety of the rafter. Rather than scream and draw attention to myself, I dug my elbow into the intruder's ribs until his grip loosened. Before I could run back to Will though, the person grabbed my wrist and spun me around. I was not at all surprised to find a scraggly pirate standing before me. His hair protruded from all directions while his clothes were messy, stained, and displayed far too much of his harry chest. I grimaced at the sight while the pirate rubbed his ribs with his free hand.

"Now what was dat for?" The pirate slurred, proving his drunken state. "Come 'ere! Let Bardson show such a young face how to 'ave a good ol' time. Here's me payment."

Bardson pulled two dusty coins from his pocket and forced them into my other hand against my shaking head. I instantly dropped the coins and backed away, "No! There will be no showing here."

The pirate wobbled forward, mumbling something too fast for me to understand. I ferociously attempted to free my arm, all the while backing up with a wildly beating heart. I knew if I couldn't release his hold on me, I could very well be taken advantage of. _Who am I kidding? I will be taken advantage of!_

Desperation transformed my pulling into clawing. However, Bardson only laughed at my efforts and continued his mumbling. Only when my back smacked into a wall did his face twist into a more sinister expression.

_This isn't working! If you don't do something drastic now, only misfortune will follow! _I took a deep breath to holler for help, but the action was blocked once his hand clamped over my mouth.

Bardson pressed himself beside me, and I shut my eyes so I wouldn't have to look at his face. His whiskered cheek rubbed against my skin as he whispered into my ear, "Oh no, no, no. Don't… you can't… just don't move."

Well obviously I moved! Twisted and turned my body to try and wriggle myself away from the drunken pirate. My efforts, however, were futile, though not unnoticed because I felt Bardson's body suddenly pried away from me; as though someone had pushed him away.

I cracked my eyes open, sighing with relief when I saw Will standing before me. He wrapped a protective arm around me, shooting glares at Bardson. "She's with me."

Surprisingly enough, the pirate started laughing! He even took a step forward and patted Will on the shoulder. "Good lad... _Good lad!_ You picked yourself a good'n, that's for sure."

Will and I looked to one another, too confused to say anything. Very slowly we walked away from the crazed pirate until we reached our initial beam. Even then we could depict his cackling through the rowdy crowd of Tortuga.

"Will?" I questioned, looking down to my clothes. "I don't look like a whore, do I?"

"Why, Evelyn, of course you do!" He smiled, despite how uncomfortable the rest of his face appeared. I rolled my eyes and pushed him away.

After several more minutes of waiting, all of which was filled with numerous women stumbling over to Will, I heard the unmistakable sound of mugs slamming onto a wooden table. I looked to Jack and Gibbs, smiling when I realized it had been them. "They've finished! We can finally-"

Whether Will was excited for their conclusion, anxious to leave, or simply angry about some unknown incident, he wasted no time in whipping out his blade and kicking over the nearest table. The pub immediately fell still.

"Will," I said, breaking the silence and shaking my head. "You're ridiculous."


	11. Some Able-Bodied Crew

**There is basically almost one more month of school left and already I am COUNTING DOWN! That's probably a bad sign, but whatever xD**

**I need the summer! Because, just as every author wishes, I want to post a lot more. Between the play I'm involved with and homework, I've had very little time to update. I'm very sorry for that, my lovely readers. Will you accept my apology by writing a review?**

**Ha! Don't you just _love _how I snuck that in there?! Probably not. Heh. Happy Reading nonetheless!**

**~MisticLight**

~.~.~.~.

After the bar incident, Will, Jack, and I went back to the ship. Gibbs decided not to join us because he had to find an abled crew by tomorrow afternoon. Although Jack had complete confidence in his friend, I felt otherwise. How on earth could someone find a handful of sailors in only a few hours' time? Let alone ones sober enough to understand what they were getting into?

Or perhaps taking advantage of their dizzying mind was Gibbs's plan… Well either way the whole thing seemed pointless to me. We were, in fact, in Tortuga. I doubted any good would come from this town.

Regardless of the rather boisterous town though, I was able to sleep well that night and rise early the following morning. I wasn't alone by doing so either because both Will and Jack were already up and pacing around the ship, distracting themselves with meaningless duties until Gibbs arrived. And that was still several hours away.

I proclaimed my entrance with a sigh and leaned back against the stern mast. "Is this what we are to do until our supposed crew arrives?"

"Yes," Jack quickly responded with a wave of his hand, "this is precisely what we will be doing until Gibbs brings in _my _crew. Do you have a problem with this, Evelyn?"

"No," I huffed as I crossed me arms. "This just seems rather dull, if you ask me."

"Then what else is it you propose we do?" Jack crossed the deck to me, his eyes set in an impatient glare. Will was quick to follow after the pirate. His eyes never left Jack, as if he were preparing himself in case the pirate acted out. I knew he wouldn't though, so I merely rolled my eyes.

"I don't know! But I'm positive anything would be better than aimlessly walking about the deck."

The pirate eyed me for a long moment before realization crossed his eyes. He flashed a cheeky smile and he momentarily retreated to a barrel lying at the base of the quarter deck stairs. Will and I each followed Jack with curious eyes, though I felt mine shift to hesitation when he came back with a sword in his hand. He wasted no time in throwing the weapon at me while proclaiming: "Is _this _less 'dull' for you?"

I allowed the blade to clatter upon the deck at my feet with a yelp, too afraid I would hurt myself if I attempted to catch it. Only when it lied motionless on the floor did I pick the sword up. "Teaching me the art of a sword again? I don't necessarily think that's a good idea."

"Actually…" I heard Will sigh from my side. When I looked to him, he wouldn't meet my eye. This ultimately allowed a smile to spread across Jack's face. "Teaching you to fight may not be such a bad idea. We are about to go after pirates, and they do not hesitate to attack whether a person is male or female."

"Very good, Will," Jack praised by giving Will an abrupt pat on the shoulder. He then pushed Will a little closer to me, all the while wearing that mischievous smile of his. "Now if you don't mind teaching Evelyn while I continue watching for Gibbs, it would be most… well actually that's an order, so it can't really _be_ anything. Savvy?"

The pirate then walked up onto the quarter deck, leaving me standing shoulder-to-shoulder beside Will.

At length Will took a step back to better look at me, "If you truly do not wish to do this, then we don't have to."

I looked to the sword, weighing my options. This was probably the only time I'd ever be in a situation in which I'd have to use a sword, so there was really no point in learning the ability. Besides, my mother always taught me that swords were a vile tool that women must never touch. However, that was my mother. Plus there had only been a few times that I even held a sword, which was practicing on deck a few days before and when I stopped Jack from leaving the Blacksmith's shop. But each time it had been exciting. A part of me _wanted _to further my knowledge of swordsmanship. This was the opportune moment to do so, and my teacher would be of someone I trusted. So really there wasn't too much to lose.

"No," I said with a determined nod. When I looked up to Will, he was already smiling. "I want to learn. Please, further teach me all it is you know."

"All right," he replied with a chuckle before taking a strange stance: legs apart, knees bent, head up, sword held at the ready. "Now, remember, this is how you should stand. You must also never forget to always keep a high guard…"

~.~.~.~.

After hours of practicing, falling, and both receiving and providing bruises, Gibbs finally managed to come aboard the ship and inform us he had a crew assembled just along the docks. Will and I quickly stopped our current skirmish to follow after Jack and Gibbs into a longboat that would take us back to the shores of Tortuga.

The trip was a bit on the unbearable side for me. I was already sweating and out of breath from sword practicing for the majority of the day, and the afternoon Sun wasn't making things any better. Although part of the blame, I admit, must be given to my, now sullied, cream dress. The material felt especially heavy as we sailed the short distance towards land, but I didn't outwardly complain because _I _was the one who chose to partake in this quest… and Will, even though he had done just as much training as me today, was the one commanded to row the boat. If anything, _he _should be the one expressing his thoughts.

As soon as our longboat was securely tied to the docks, Gibbs ran over to an awaiting line of men. Will, Jack, and I followed after the slightly eager man, though Jack did so only after grabbing a banana. I had no idea what the purpose of it was, but I wasn't about to question the decisions of our already mad, self-appointed Captain.

"Feast yours eyes, Cap'n," Gibbs proudly smiled as he led the three of us down the line. Each man stared blankly ahead, which only made me want to act strong so my attire wouldn't make me seem helpless in their eyes. "All of them faithful hands before the mast. Every man worth his salt… and crazy to boot."

Our future "crew" was filthy, red-eyed, and appeared rather unskilled. Although I tried not to judge them too harshly on their appearance, I was still unimpressed. After taking a side glance at Will, he didn't appear to be impressed either. He noticed my stare and soon sent me an unsure smile, which I replied with a shrug.

"So _this_…" Will flatly said as his eyes slid through the line, "is your able-bodied crew?"

"I'm sorry, Jack, but they seem rather unprepared for the mission we're about to set out on." I offered Jack a soft smile, but he didn't even turn around to accept it. I sighed, "They also appear to be recently sober, as though Gibbs picked them directly from the pub just the other night."

I felt Gibbs glare at me, but I pretended not to notice by continuing to stare ahead. Besides, the man was already not in favor of me coming along on the voyage. Some nonsense about bad luck falling upon us while at sea because I was a woman. Jack, Will, and I already sailed from Port Royal to Tortuga in one piece, so I doubted the truth behind that superstition.

I only moved when Jack advanced, and only stopped when he did. For a moment he stared at a man with a parrot upon his shoulder, but then he bellowed at him: "You, sailor!"

"Cotton, sir." Gibbs replied, knowing all too well none of us knew who the man was.

"Mr. Cotton," Jack continued, "do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death?" We all waited for the man to answer, but her remained still. This only made Jack impatient. "Mr. Cotton! Answer, man!"

"He's a mute, sir." Gibbs informed.

Now it was my turn to glare at him. "That would have been useful information prior to the question, Mr. Gibbs."

He ignored me with a shake of his head before furthering his explanation. "Poor devil had his tongue cut out. So he trained the parrot to talk for him… No one's yet figured how."

As Gibbs spoke, Cotton displayed his lack of tongue by opening his mouth. Jack and I each backed away from the disturbing sight, though I was the only one to voice my thoughts: "That's revolting."

Immediately I regretted saying that. _So much for appearing strong._

"Mr. Cotton's… Parrot," Jack tried again. "Same question."

"Wind in the sails! Wind in the sails!" The bird squawked from Cotton's shoulder. I looked to it with raised brows. Having heard parrots speak before, I wasn't surprised that it responded. I was actually confused as to what the bird meant by its statement.

Apparently Jack and Will appeared just as perplexed because Gibbs wasted no time in explaining everything. "Mostly we figure that means 'yes.'"

"Of course it does." Jack stated, making it seem as though he knew the entire time. I shook my head as he turned towards Will and I. "Are you two satisfied?"

"Not entirely…" I confessed, nervously chewing my lip once Jack narrowed his eyes.

Will was quick to draw the attention from me to him though: "Well, you've proved they're mad."

"And what's the benefit for us?" The sudden voice of a woman rose above the crowd.

Initially Jack looked back to me, but I shook my head in protest. He then fell into confusion. I, however, pushed through Will and Jack and began walking down the remainder of the line. The voice had come from my right, and seeing as all those line up appeared to be men, I figured anyone looking even slightly suspicious was probably a woman in disguise. Eventually I stumbled upon a person wearing a large hat that covered his or her face. He or she was also looking down, which further made the person mysterious.

With hesitant hands I grabbed the rim of the hat and removed it from the person's head. Long, dark hair immediately fell down to the shoulders of this person, and a feminine face blankly stared back at me. Fortunately she didn't appear too angry with me for revealing her identity, though her face quickly contorted into such an emotion when Jack shoved me behind him and into Will

"Anamaria," he exclaimed, which only earned him a slap across the face. I smiled at the action, already liking the woman.

Will took amusement with the action too because as soon as Jack's face was forced to face us again, he was leaning forward with a smile of his own. "I suppose you didn't deserve that one either."

"No, that one I deserved," Jack shockingly admitted. I noticed Anamaria's head nodded in agreement with the statement.

"You _stole_ my boat!" She growled.

"Actually-" Jack was cut off by another slap to the face. This impact even caused me to flinch away. "_Borrowed_. Borrowed without permission. But with every intention of bringing it back."

Anamaria appeared as unconvinced with his final statement as I felt. "But you _didn't_!"

"You'll get another one," Jack quickly assured the woman.

She raised her hand as though to smack him again, but instead resorted to waving a threatening finger in his face. "I will."

"A better one," Will cut in.

"A better one," Jack agreed.

"Oh yes, far better than whatever ship Jack took from you to begin with," I smiled, deciding to add my voice into the matter.

Will pointed to the _Interceptor_, "That one."

"What one?" Jack questioned, to which Will responded with raised eyebrows and a nod towards our ship. All eyes turned to look at the _Interceptor_, though only Jack's snapped back with clear outrage. "_That_ _one_?"

"Jack, this is probably the only way you're going to placate this woman," I lowly replied. Will agreed to my claim with another nod. "Besides, it's not as though it was your ship to begin with. We stole it."

The pirate sighed as the attention of everyone trickled back to us. I thought he was going to continue his protest, so I was quite surprised when he turned back to Anamaria with a smile. "Aye, that one. What say you?"

It didn't take her long to think the trade over.

"_Aye_!" She shouted, to which the remaining crew echoed. Then all at once they filed away, grabbing all sorts of supplies piled upon the docks and leaving Jack, Gibbs, Will, and I standing at the end of where the line was.

"No, no, no, no, no," Gibbs stuttered as he crossed to Jack's left side, "it's frightful bad luck to bring a woman aboard, sir. Having just the one was bad enough, but with two? We might as well be sent to our watery graves."

As soon as the words left his mouth, I was gaping at the man and his foolish thoughts. I advanced towards him, but was held back by Will. I wasn't even able to speak for myself because after glaring back at Will, Jack decided to speak up.

"It'll be far worse not to have them," he said with his eyes looking only to the sky. As he left, all three of our gazes drifted up.

The day was just as clear as any other, with only a few clouds floating across the sky. I didn't quite understand why Jack had looked so concerned about it. My initial thoughts jumped to a possible storm, but nothing above me hinted to such. So instead of blindly trying to figure something out, I decided to simply ask Jack about it.

As I pushed my way through the crowed after the pirate, a firm hand upon my shoulder suddenly stopped me short. When the person spun me around, I was shocked to be facing Anamaria. Although I was glad she was permitted to come along with the crew since I would no longer be the only female, she was rather intimidating. In fact, I was nearly frightened by her unsatisfied expression as she took in my appearance.

When she didn't say anything, I uncomfortably held out her hat. I forgot I even had the item until I tried to focus on anything but her analytical stare. "Here is your hat back, Miss.-"

"Just Anamaria will do," she curtly said as she snatched the hat and positioned it back upon her head. "Now you, girl-"

"Evelyn Pierce."

"Evelyn," she nodded. This was the strangest way I'd ever exchanged names with a person before. "Follow me."

That was all she said before turning on her heels and promptly walking off. She didn't even turn back around to be sure I was doing as she ordered. Although I was quite hesitant about following after her, I was more concerned with what she'd do if I chose not to. So I took off after her after only a few seconds' pause.

She led me to a small hut located just near the docks. When I approached the shelter, Anamaria had already disappeared through the door. I made to follow, but she walked out with a pile of clothes in her hands before I got the chance cross the threshold. She looked up to me with a stern, yet oddly kind face. "These are some of my old clothes. Put them on. It'll be easier for you to sail around in pants rather than that dress of yours."

I looked down to my dress as she shoved the clothes into my arms and walked away again. I sighed, _She's right._

~.~.~.~.

A storm actually did roll in. Just after sunset, though I wasn't on deck to see what chaos it brought. Rather than hustling about and trying to save the ship, I was disappointingly ordered to stay below deck. Thus the puffy, faded blue shirt and dark pants I now wore stayed dry the entire night. I wasn't at all happy with my "fortune."

I had been assigned head chef of the _Interceptor_ even though I couldn't cook in the slightest. That small detail had been proven days before by the fat pastry chef back in Port Royal. In fact, I bet anyone could tell their meals aboard this ship were going to be absolutely horrendous just by looking at me.

Honestly I bet the only reason I was assigned such a demeaning position was because I, not knowing the slightest about sailing, would only get in the way, especially with such a harsh storm passing overhead. So I suppose being forced below deck made sense, but I wished Jack had given me the truth rather than send me away. Will hadn't been any better, seeing as he had yet to make an appearance and so address the matter.

So as the storm rang on above, I got to sit and do nothing. I tried to busy myself with small pointless tasks so as to distract myself from thinking of the possible men drowning from a wave harshly splashing upon the deck, but everything I did was never enough to appease my mind. Eventually I settled for simply handing out towels or some form of dry cloth to those who managed to stumble down the steps.

That was definitely helping out the crew… maybe.


	12. Fading Hope

That was the only storm that we encountered on our journey. And, the best news of all, I no longer became sea sick. So I was able to walk around the deck _without_ having to stay near the rail.

Despite leaving, what I assume, was days after this Black Pearl kidnapped that Elizabeth girl, I could tell we were catching up. Jack never left his post at the steering wheel and the men barely got any sleep. Why he wanted to catch up to the ship, I don't know. I could tell Will was anxious to catch up with the ship: Elizabeth was on it. The closer Jack said we got, the more Will talked about Elizabeth, and the more I stayed away from him. It pained me to do that, but every time Will talked about Elizabeth, there was this pain that developed inside of me. Jealousy perhaps? No, I have Whitaker, why should I care? Then again, why shouldn't I?

This is what I found myself pondering today in my room. The water was calming and the wind blew a refreshing breeze on my face. I loved the sea. Suddenly, there was a rap on my door.

"It's open." I said without looking away from the window. It was either Will or Anamaria. Anamaria and I have a neutral friendship. With no other women aboard, we find ourselves talking to each other, but we are almost complete opposites. Still, she's good company and I enjoy talking with her.

"Evelyn, we're approaching land." It was Will. Lately, Will's had a somewhat questioning look on his face every time he saw me. Maybe he was wondering why I don't talk with him as much. I turned around to face him. Will was standing in the doorway, not sure if he should enter or not.

I've been somewhat regretting the day we would catch up to the Black Pearl. I looked into his eyes. "Looks like you get to rescue Elizabeth, then." I meekly said. Will looked down at the floorboards and didn't say anything.

"Well aren't you happy?" I inquired "You've been waiting for this day since we first discovered that she was missing." He looked back up.

"Yes, ecstatic." He didn't sound like he meant it. "It's just….something's come up, but it's nothing." He quickly added.

I nodded and gave him a small smile before walking past him and heading up the stairs. "Evelyn, wait." I heard him say before grabbing my hand.

There was a tingling feeling in my hand, and my stomach got butterflies. It was a lovely, calming feeling. I looked at our hands and slowly slid mine out of Will's grasp. I kept looking at my hand, the feeling still there. I could tell he had the same feeling happen to him because he was stretching his hand, drawing his fingers in and out.

"Dead men tell no tails." I heard Cotton's Parrot say from the deck. Will and I made eye contact before, without another word, he ran past me onto the deck. I stayed where I was until the tingling in my hand went away.

When I finally emerged, everyone was at the rail. It was foggy, so why are they all over there? I made my way to the rail, and found out why. There was a graveyard of ships beneath us. I peered over the side and, because of the clear Caribbean Sea, was able to see all the way to the bottom. I saw multiple sunken ships and a few sharks. Just imagine all of the lives that were taken both by the sea and by the sharks. I shivered and backed away from the rail. I scanned the deck and saw Jack checking his compass at the wheel.

I had seen the compass while Jack was using it once before on this quest. It didn't point north, but it was pointing in the direction of where bow of the ship was facing. It's a unique compass, but where in the world did Jack get it? I decided to ask Gibbs, since he seems to have known Jack the longest.

When I found him, he was with Will. I wasn't quite up to talking with Will because of that weird awkward moment, but we'd have to get over it at some point. "Mr. Gibbs," I asked once I approached him "Where did Jack get his compass?"

Both Will and Gibbs turned around. Gibbs was thinking, and Will seemed eager to know the answers as well. "Sorry Missy," Gibbs finally said "Not much is known about Jack Sparrow 'fore he showed up in Tortuga with a mind to go after the treasure of Isla de Muerta. That was before I'd met him, back when he was captain of the Black Pearl."

"What?" Will and I said at the same time. I don't think Jack wanted us to know about that.

"He neglected to mention that." Will said. Captain of the Black Pearl, who would've thought?

"Why isn't he still the Captain?" This made no sense.

Gibbs coughed, realizing that he probably shouldn't have mentioned that and debating on whether or not to tell us Jack's story. Finally, Gibbs sighed. "See, three days out on the venture, his first mate comes to him and says, everything's an equal share, that should mean the location of the treasure, too. So Jack gives up the bearings. Then, that night, there was a mutiny. They marooned Jack on an island, and left him to die. But not before he'd gone mad from the heat."

"Ah, and that's the reason for all the…." Will said before mimicking Jack's weird movements. I looked down and bit my lip as I quietly laughed. I didn't want Gibbs to see me laughing at, possibly, his best friend.

Gibbs, once again, sighed and sat down. Will and I sat down as well and waited for him to continue Jack's story. "Now, you two, when a pirate's marooned, he's given a pistol with a single shot. One shot, that won't do you any good hunting, or to be rescued. But after three weeks of a starving belly and thirst, that pistol start to look real friendly." Gibbs made a gun with his fingers and put it to his head. I took a sharp breath; suicide is never an option.

"But Jack," Gibbs continued "He escaped the island, and he still has that single shot. He won't use it, though, save on one man. His mutinous first mate."

"Barbossa." I whispered once I put all the puzzle piece together.

Gibbs nodded "Aye."

"How did Jack get of the island?" Will asked

"I'll tell ye." Gibbs excitedly said. He must have told this story many times. "He waded out past the shallows and waited there, three days and three nights, 'till all manner of sea creatures 'came acclimated to his presence. And then he roped himself a couple of sea turtles and lashed 'em together and made a raft."

"He roped a couple of sea turtles." I stated, not believing that at all.

"Aye," Gibbs stubbornly said "Sea Turtles."

"What did he use for rope?" Will asked Gibbs starts to answer, but pauses. Obviously, he doesn't know.

"Human hair." Jack said, suddenly appearing in front of us "From my back."

I made a disgusted face, which seemed to please Jack. Even if that was true, there's no way that could happen.

"Weigh anchor and lower the boat!" Will ordered the crew "Will and I are to go ashore."

Jack walked away and Gibbs followed. They probably aren't aware of it, but I silently followed them. I know Gibbs plans on asking Jack something that Will and I probably shouldn't hear. Will has also figured this out and is following them as well.

"And what if the worst should happen?" Gibbs asked Jack

"Keep to the Code."

"Ah, the Code." Both the men left.

I looked at Will. "What's the code?"

He shrugged. I looked after the two men, why wouldn't they want us to know this?

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"Give me one good reason that I can't come with you two?" I asked looking from Jack to Will.

"It's to dangerous." Will said

"Oh please, that's not a good reason. Besides, _someone_ has make sure you two don't get into trouble."

"And trouble always seems to find you, so if you would be so kind as to let us leave, we shall return shortly, unless, of course, you'd like us to stay and let Will's little friend die…. It's up to you." Jack smiled.

I waved my hand at them. "Fine, go then." I pouted.

"Good." Jack declared, "Boy, get in the boat. Girl, stay here." He nodded towards Gibbs, who was standing next to me.

"I'll be back," Will said, "I promise." Then he climbed down the ladder, followed by Jack.

I looked over the railing as they started to leave. Jack would make Will row the boat. Lazy pirate….

"Bye, Will." I waved to him.

"Hey! What about me?" Jack shouted back.

I sighed. "Bye." I said flatly. Will waved back and Jack smiled before they got to back to the matter of saving Elizabeth. I had other matters to deal with.

"Mr. Gibbs," I said without turning around, I knew he was there. "What, exactly, is 'The Code'?"

I turned around and leaned against the rail. I was correct, he was there, and now that I see him, he can't pretend that he isn't there.

"The Code," Gibbs said "is a set of rules that all pirates must obey."

"So, it's a set of laws?"

"No, just rules."

"….That's stupid." I turned back around and watched the clouds go by, waiting for Will to return back safely….with Elizabeth.


	13. Four Full Dishes

I was preparing lunch for the crew when the call came that Will and Jack were coming back and would be on the ship any minute. I stopped what I was doing and ran up the stairs. On the way up, I ran into Anamaria, knocking her over.

"Watch where you're going! You little-" Anamaria finally looked at me "Oh, Evelyn."

"Sorry." I said quickly helping her up.

"It's alright, these things happen. Just do one thing for me to make up for this." She winked at me "Try and make the new girl jealous for me, will ya?"

I rolled my eyes. "That's not going to happen."

"That's what _you_ think!" She snorted.

I walked up the rest of the steps, letting Anamaria think what she wants. Sometimes, it's better that way. She has a tendency of making whatever I think is wrong. If I have an opinion that isn't hers, then she will say I'm wrong and she's right. Then she will continue to talk about how she's right until you feel like punching her in the face and decide to say something like 'oh, I see why that's right now'. It's an opinion, people are supposed to have different views.

When I finally made my way to the top of the ship, Will was already on the deck. I was about to run over and attack him with a hug, until I saw her. Elizabeth.

I already knew that she was the daughter of the governor, so that already meant that she was rich and smart. Now that I see her, I find out that she's pretty. Far prettier than anyone I've ever seen.

A half circle was made around the two of them. I pushed my way to the somewhat front, so Will could see me. Anamaria came and stood next to me. When he did, we exchanged smiles and Anamaria nudged me. I ignored her.

"Not more pirates." Elizabeth said. She's already said three words, and I don't like her. Then again, I haven't actually met her. I shouldn't judge, but that's like telling a pirate no to drink rum.

"Welcome aboard, Miss. Elizabeth." I heard Gibbs say, pulling me out of my cruel thoughts.

"Mr. Gibbs?"

Gibbs looked a little ashamed. "Hey, boy, where be Jack?" He said changing the subject.

That's when I noticed that the Rogue wasn't on the ship.

"Jack?" Elizabeth turned to Will, with shock and resentment on her face. "Jack Sparrow?"

Will grabbed Elizabeth "He fell behind." He pushed through the pirates, dragging Elizabeth behind him. He went right through Anamaria and I without saying a word.

There was dead silence on the ship. We all looked at Gibbs, not knowing what to do. Did Jack die, or did Will just leave him? I couldn't see Will doing that. Maybe Jack wondered off and Will had to leave him because the pirates were coming. That seems the most logical. I hope that's what happened.

"Keep to the Code." Gibbs finally answered. We were all still quiet.

"Weigh anchor," Anamaria commanded, "Hoist the sails!" Thank god for her leadership.

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We were out at sea in no time. I finished making lunch for the pirates, but four dishes remained full of food; they hadn't been touched. The first one was for Jack, but he never came back. The second and third were Will's and Elizabeth's, but they never came back up from below deck. The last was mine. I didn't feel like eating, there was too much on my mind.

Once Anamaria had given her orders, I went back down into the kitchen. There was no use for me on deck, and I had to finish making lunch for the crew. I admit, I can't cook, but I wouldn't say I was terrible.

My plan was that once Will and Elizabeth came to get their meal, I would introduce myself. So I worked quickly and tried to make a better meal this time around, might as well make a good first impression on Elizabeth. I was cooking in a blind fury and forgot that Jack wasn't here, that explains his plate.

Once I was satisfied with what I prepared, I rang the dinner bell. The crew quickly grabbed their food and wolfed it down. I kept my hopes up about seeing Will and Elizabeth, but they never came. I didn't want to think about what those two could be doing.

I put the four full dishes into the spot where some lucky pirate could come pick it up if they got hungry, and made my way up on the deck.

Everyone was working fast. I looked out behind us, there was no ship following us. So why were we working fast? I went up to Anamaria, who was at the wheel. This was going to be her ship once we reached Tortuga anyway. "What's going on?"

"The Black Pearl is the fastest ship in the Caribbean, Evelyn. We need get as far away as possible and, hopefully, find some sort of land where we'd have an advantage over her."

I nodded. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Not unless you can do Will's job, which I know you can't. He's been neglecting his duties and spending all this time with the bloody girl!" She gritted her teeth.

I looked past her. There was a little black spot forming over the horizon. I went over to the railing and squinted. Could it be the ship, or just some trick my mind is playing on me?

"What you lookin' at, Missy?" It was Gibbs. Anamaria turned around and looked at me as well.

I pointed at the dot. Anamaria and Gibbs followed my finger. Gibbs stared at the dot. "No, that can't be…."

Now I could make out the sails on the ship and see a trail of fog following closely behind the ship. Anamaria's eyes grew. "Crap." She snapped her head forward and started barking out orders. That's when I noticed Elizabeth standing next to us. "What's happening?"

But where's Will? I left Gibbs and Anamaria to explain our situation to Elizabeth. Something must be wrong with Will.

I went down the steps to where I saw Will and Elizabeth disappear to before. Will was still down there, sitting on a stool and looking at a medallion. I sat down across from him and waited for him to speak.

The medallion was silver and had a pirate skull on both sides of it. It must be Elizabeth's because I've never seen it before.

"I'm a pirate." Will said, interrupting my thoughts. He hadn't looked at me yet. His attention was still on the medallion.

"I'm sure we both are by now." I said, trying to lighten his mood "Just look where we're at: on a navy ship, stolen by us." I smiled.

"No, that's not what I meant." My smile fell, it hadn't worked. Will finally lifted his gave. "You see this medallion?"

He waved the medallion in front of my face. "Yes, but what's that got to-"

"It was a gift from my father when I was little. My father's a pirate. We have the same blood. I'm a pirate." His voice slowly fell.

"I thought your father was a merchantman?"

"No. He's a pirate. So am I." Will threw the medallion at my feet and lowered his head.

I slowly picked up the medallion. It was heavier than what I thought….and spookier. I gently placed it on the table. How could a necklace cause this much pain?

I laid my hand on his arm. He looked up, but his expression was somewhere far away. The tingling started to fill my hand, but I ignored. "Just because pirate is in your blood, doesn't mean you are one. You're only a pirate if you choose to be."

He looked into my eyes and smiled. I smiled back and held his gaze, loosing track of everything around us. Then I remembered.

I stood up. "Will, we have business to attend to." Will gave me a quizzical look. "The Black Pearl is gaining."


	14. The Battle

**This is the epic sea battle. There's **_**no**_** way I was going to cut it in half. So, please, get a drink, make a snack, and enjoy this long chapter!!**

**~MisticLight**

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When we emerged, everyone was dumping supplies off the ship. Will went over to the rail to see the Black Pearl. I headed over towards Anamaria, Elizabeth, and Gibbs. The Black Pearl was even closer. I could see a few of their crewmembers scurrying about. "What's happening?" I asked the three of them.

"We're tossing everything overboard, it was my idea." Elizabeth eagerly said

"Why?" I questioned. Won't we need these supplies?

"To lighten the ship and hopefully make it to those shoals over." Anamaria nodded towards the water near an island. "We have a shallower draft and can handle quicker on the turns than she can."

I looked back over at the Black Pearl, which was even closer now. Closer than what they should be. I looked down at where the ships cannons should be. "It was a good plan, Elizabeth." I said.

Everyone looked back at me, then at the ship. They all saw the oars that were sticking out of the ship. Anamaria looked at Elizabeth "Up 'til now."

"Gibbs! Someone said behind me. I spun around and saw Will. "We have to make a stand! We must fight!….Load the guns!"

"With what?" Anamaria cockily asked.

"Anything. Everything! Anything we have left."

Gibbs pondered Will's proposition "Load the guns!" I didn't know whether to smile or scream in terror, my first sea battle. I know all those lessons with Will will pay off. "Case shot and langrage! Nails and crushed glass! With a Will!"

"Now all we have to do is wait for her to come up on our starboard side." Anamaria said

Everyone looked back. This wasn't good. "The Pearl's gonna luff up on our port quarter!" Gibbs finally said. I bit my lip; there must be a way we can get her on our starboard side. "She'll rank us without ever presenting a target."

I looked at what was left on the ship, and it all clicked. I turned to Anamaria and Gibbs. "Lower the anchor on the right side." Everyone looked like I was made. "On the starboard side!" I pressed on. This has to work, or else we're doomed.

"It has the element of surprise." Will said, backing me up. I quickly smiled thanks.

"You're daft, lady!" Anamaria said, moving her eyes from me to Will "You both are!"

"Daft like Jack!" Gibbs said. Gibbs supports my plan. "Lower the starboard anchor!" He ordered the crew "Do it, you dogs, or it's you we'll load into the cannons!" That certainly got them going.

I went over to the railing and braced myself for the sharp turn. I placed a death grip on a line near the railing. When the turn did come, I almost lost my footing. Other than that, the turn wasn't that bad. But it isn't something I want to do again.

In no time, we were right next to the ship. Will handed me a gun "Use this as needed." I nodded. "Make sure you can see me at all time."

"And you do the same for me."

Will nodded "I promise." He walked down the row of men lined up on the starboard side.

There was so much shouting, from both ships. I was nervous. I don't think I'm ready for a sea battle. I took a deep breath and made sure I was in a good position so Will and I could see each other. I saw him getting ready to shout the word "Fire." That one word will start the battle. The closer it got, the more nervous I got.

Then it was said. Guns went off, cannons exploded, and pieces of the ship chipped off. That's all I could hear for a few moments. I lifted my gun, and fired it, my first time using a gun. I don't want to know if I killed someone.

The smoke from the gun made my eyes fill with tears and filled my lungs. I coughed and swatted the smoke out of my face. There was no way I could keep track of Will with all this smoke.

I quickly scurried over to where Will was last, and luckily he was still there. He looked down at me. "What better way to keep track of me than me standing right here?" I fired another shot, shortly followed by one of his. The smoker from the gun didn't affect me as much this time. It's just one of those things you have to get used to.

"We could use a few more ideas, lasses!" Gibbs said towards Elizabeth and I.

"Your turn!" Elizabeth shouted back. I would have said that too. I guess Elizabeth isn't so bad, but we'll see.

"We need us a devil's dowry." Gibbs loudly mumbled

Suddenly, Anamaria popped up behind Elizabeth and put a gun up to her head. "We'll give them her."

Will lowered his gun. "She's not what they're after."

I looked from Will to Elizabeth. Elizabeth looked at her chest then locked eyes with Will. "The medallion."

Will got up and sprinted to where we left the medallion. I quickly followed him. Bullets were flying right in front of my face, and I found myself ducking quite a lot. Will lifted the hatch and started to go down. "Stay here." He told me.

I looked down the ladder and saw water. "Please be careful." I said, pleading with my eyes. Will nodded and headed down. I heard the splash of the water as his feet hit the ground.

I shot my gun two more times before something made me fall to my feet. They had launched a cannon that made our mast fall. They were going to board.

Watching the mast fall seemed to take forever. I loaded my gun so I would be prepared for the oncoming pirates. I saw their grapples shoot into the air and latch onto our railing. I braced myself. I predicted where the first man would land and I waited.

Except, there was no time to wait. I heard a knocking, and I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. I followed the path our mast had taken when it fell. To my horror, it fell on top of doorway where Will was. I dropped my gun and ran over to the hatch.

"Will?" I asked, hoping that he had somehow gotten out before the mast fell.

"Evelyn, is that you?" It was Will.

I pressed my face up to the bars. "I'm going to get you out!"

I looked for something I could use as a lever so I could lift the mast up easier. I couldn't find anything right away, and looking any longer would waste time. We were obviously going to loose, so I needed to get Will out as soon as possible. The only thing left to do was lift the mast myself.

I tried pushing it, but it didn't move. I tried lifting it, but it still wouldn't move. I took a deep, frustrated breath. I had to move the mast. I looked over at the hatch once more, hoping to get some inspiration, and saw Elizabeth looking into it.

She looked up. "We have to get him out!" She ordered.

"Tell me something I don't know!" I shouted back.

She started to push together. The mast moved! Will would be out in no time! More determined then I ever, I pushed harder. Then I was being carried backwards. Two pirates were dragging me away from him. I looked to see if they'd gotten Elizabeth. They had. I struggled, but they had a firm grasp on my arms. But my feet were free.

I kicked both men right below their knees. Their grips loosened and I ran back to the hatch. The water was rising. "Will!" I reached my hand in between the bars. The tips of my fingers could touch the water.

Will grabbed my hand. "It's all going to be alright." I calmly stated. "I'm going to get you out." But the pirates came back, and this time there were three….and they had rope.

"Will!" I screamed, struggling and kicking with all my might. The three pirates just laughed as they carried me over to the Black Pearl. One pirate tied my hands and led me over while the other two had a firm grip on my elbow. I was helpless.

The crew started to cheer, and I could see why. Someone was holding up the medallion. The monkey on the man's shoulders probably got it. It's small enough to fit in between the bars.

The pirates brought me over to their mast. The rest of the crew was there as well. My hands were still tied as they started to, loosely, tie us up to the mast. My eyes were glued to the ship.

We started to sail away, but my eyes were still attached to the ship. Will was going to be ok. Even if the ship sinks, he'll be ok. When the ship sinks, he can easily push the door open since everything is pretty much weightless under water.

The ship exploded. I shook me head, this can't happen. I looked at the other crewmembers; their eyes were big. They were only reacting to the ship being blown up. I saw Elizabeth; she had gotten out of the rope. She was looking at what remained of the ship. The explosion had happened. Will was not ok. I felt a tear fall down my cheek. I looked at my feet. I don't want these pirates to see me cry.

I heard Elizabeth freak out. I dried my tears with my shoulder and looked up. She was attacking the captain. He grabbed a hold of her. "Welcome back, miss." He teased "You took advantage of our hospitality last time. It holds fair now you return the favor."

The captain threw Elizabeth into his hungry crew. She was screaming, but there wasn't anything I could do to help her. I didn't want to watch, so I lowered my head once more.

"Barbossa!" It was Will's voice. I looked up and saw him, alive, standing on the railing. I struggled with the rope tied around me. I needed to make sure it was really him. Elizabeth's screams stopped. Will grabbed a pistol "She goes free."

"What's in your head, boy?" Barbossa shouted as he made his way to Will.

"She goes free."

"You've only got one shot," The captain taunted "And we can't die."

I looked at Gibbs "They can't die?"

"They're cursed because of the Aztec gold they stole. That's why they need the last medallion and blood to life the curse. I'll tell ya about it later. Now shut up, Missy!" Gibbs sighed.

I focused back on Will, who was headed toward the railing. He jumped up. "You can't." He put the pistol to his head "I can." I lunged forward, to no avail. What is wrong with that boy?

"Who are you?" Barbossa inquired

"No one." Jack said. I was glad to see he wasn't dead, but now was not the time to be happy with Jack being back. "He's no one. A distant cousin of my aunt's nephew twice removed. Lovely singing voice, though." He muttered something else to Barbossa, but I couldn't catch it.

"My name is Will Turner!" Will shouted, making sure everyone heard him. "My father was bootstrap Bill Turner. His blood runs in my veins."

"He's the spitting image of old Bootstrap Bill come back to haut us." Some crewmember that I don't care about said

"On my word," Will continued "do as I say, or I'll pull this trigger and be lost to Davy Jones' locker." I really hope the captain will listen to Will. I don't want to see him die….again.

"Name your terms, Mr. Turner." Barbossa said, making me sigh with relief. But Will didn't put the gun down.

"Elizabeth goes free!"

"Yes, we got that one. Anything else?"

"The crew. The crew are not to be harmed."

"Final call. Is there any last minute term you'd like to add."

Will though, then looked at me. "Evelyn," He said, pointing the gun at me so Barbossa could see who I was "she is to remain in my sight at all times." I smiled to myself, he kept his promise.

Barbossa looked back at me, and stepped towards Will. "Agreed."

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There are two sets of prison cells on the ship. One was filled with all of our crew, and the other was filled with Will and I. The pirates hadn't yet untied my hands. They said they were going to have to retie them in a few minutes anyway. I don't know what they meant by that.

Barbossa had dropped Jack and Elizabeth off at some island. Supposedly the exact same one they marooned Jack on before. Will was upset and said that Barbossa wasn't setting Elizabeth free like hr promised.

Barbossa, insulted, replied, "I agreed she'd go free, but it was you who failed to specify when or where." I guess you need to be specific when dealing with pirates, or else they'll find a loophole.

Now, we're sailing back to Isla de Muerta. Whatever lies ahead of us, I'm not looking forward to it.


	15. An Understanding

They dragged me to the brig by my bound hands, laughing the whole way down. Will and I were the only ones still bound. The rest of the crew just had pistols pointed at their heads. I couldn't tell what was worse: having rough, itchy rope tied to tightly around my hands, or having a pistol pointed at me.

The entire pirate crew followed us down those endless steps. At the rear of the pack was Captain Barbossa himself, with his monkey on his shoulder. Once we reached the bottom, the Bo'sun separated us into two groups. On one side was Will, the one who got to leave once we reached the dreaded island, while me and the crew were on the other side, those whose futures are uncertain.

One by one we were shoved into the cold iron cells. At the same time, Will was being unbound and getting shoved into his cell. No sooner was I pushed in than was I yanked back out again by my elbow. Captain Barbossa, grinning, was holding me up at an uncomfortable angle by my elbow.

"Gents, do you remember our accord with Mr. Turner?" He nodded his head towards the opposite cell. The pirate crew grunted and exchanged smiles amongst themselves. With his other hand, Barbossa harshly pinched my cheeks together and made me face Will. "She must always remain in his sight."

He and the pirate crew broke out in laughter as the Bo'sun opened Will's cell and Barbossa threw me in. When I collided with the wet floor, they only laughed harder. Will was quickly at my side and helped me sit up. Barbossa looked into the cell, watching to see if Will planned on doing anything rash. Knowing Will, that's exactly what he was planning on doing. I tugged on Will's sleeve with my still-bound hands and shook my head. Whatever Will did, there would be some sort of consequence. We couldn't afford any more trouble.

Will clenched his jaw, but, thankfully, did nothing else. Barbossa cackled before both he and his pirate crew left the tiny brig. Will led me to the only bench in the cell. I sat down and rested my head against the wall behind me. I listened to the murmur of the crew in the next cell and the dripping of water.

"Doesn't it hurt?" I heard Will ask. I sat up and opened my eyes. What was he talking about?

"Your wrists." He explained, sensing my confusion. "They're still bound."

Even though I could feel the ropes burning into my wrists, I still looked at it. Sheepishly, I looked back up at Will "Will, do you mind?" I lifted my wrists towards him.

Will sat beside me and started fidgeting with the knot. We sat in silence, both looking at the knot. Will's hand accidentally brushed mine. That small tingling feeling that I thought had gone away engulfed my hand. I pulled my hands back, afraid that he could somehow see what was happening to my hand.

Will smiled. "Sorry, Blacksmith's hands."

"Oh. There's no need to-"

"I know they're rough."

"Mine aren't any better." I giggled as I gave my hands back to him. Will chuckled as he finished untying the knot. I sighed, it felt good to once again feel the blood pumping into my hands. I started rubbing my wrists, hoping to get the feeling of the rope off.

"Evelyn, you know what's funny?" Will asked with his head leaning against the wall.

"Hmm."

"Just this morning I had that same conversation with Elizabeth. But now she's off on some island…." Will started to mumble.

I stopped rubbing my wrists and placed my hand on his shoulder, ignoring that stupid tingling in my hand. "I'm sorry, Will."

Silence. I put my hands in my lap. Will brought his head to his hands. "Besides, she's with Jack." I offered.

Will looked at me. "Was that supposed to make me feel better?"

I shrugged. "Well, he escaped once. I'm sure he can do it again."

He didn't seem impressed and looked at the door of our cell. I turned his head to face mine and smiled. "Sea Turtles and all."

Will genuinely smiled and even laughed a little. Our heads were close together, but neither of us moved away. Instead, we moved closer and closer together. I couldn't stop thinking about his soft brown eyes or the kindness in his face. We were mere inches away when we heard someone coming down the steps. We quickly pulled away and Will stood up. Everyone, including the crew in the other cell, looked at the stairs. Even though it was impossible, I hoped it would be a friendly face saying that we were free.

Instead, it was just two pirates carrying mops and pails. One was tall and thin while the other was short and a little stout. The short one was bald only on the top of his head. The tall one, on the other hand, seemed to have a fake eye.

"We was told to keep an eye on all of you." The short one smiled "I'm Pintel, and this here is Ragetti." He nodded towards his friend, who waved at us until the one called Pintel glared at him.

"Oh. Right. Sorry." The tall one, Ragetti, said as he looked down. He and Pintel started mopping the floor. The brig was so small and dark that it looked as if the pirates were actually making the floor even messier.

I stared at the mops. Their swirling motion mesmerized me and helped me focus on what almost happened. I know that Will and Elizabeth are meant to be together. If they weren't, then I wouldn't be sitting in a cell on a pirate ship. Even though I know they're supposed to be together, I can't deny that I didn't want to kiss him. I can feel myself blushing as I think about it. What if I really do-

One of the pirates hit the opposite cell with his mop and snapped me out of my little trance. I flinched back out of surprise. I could feel my heart beating faster from this unexpected sound.

"You knew William Turner?" Will asked

"Ol' Bootstrap Bill. We knew him." Pintel answered. "Never sat well with Bootstrap, what we did to Jack Sparrow, the mutiny and all. He said it wasn't right with the code. That's why he sent off a piece of the treasure to you. He said we deserved to be cursed….and remain cursed." I stood next to Will. I want to hear more about this curse these men claim to have.

"Stupid blighter!" Ragetti cut in.

"Good man." Gibbs countered.

"Well, as you can imagine," Pintel continued, "That didn't suit to well with the captain."

"That didn't suit to well with the captain at all." Ragetti cut in excitedly. "Tell him what Barbossa did." I listened closely, not wanting to miss any detail.

"I'm telling the story!" Pintel snapped at Ragetti. Who would've thought that pirates were this into story telling, "So….what the captain did. He strapped a cannon to Bootstrap's Bootstraps."

"Bootstrap's Bootstraps." Taunted Ragetti

"And last we saw of Ol' Bill Turner he was sinking to the crushing, black oblivion of Davy Jones' locker…. 'Course it was only after that we learned we needed his blood to lift the curse."

"That's what you call ironic."

They both paused, possibly out of respect, before they started laughing. Will was looking down at the floorboards. This sad tale must be even harder on him. He learned the true fate of his father.

I reached out to place a supportive hand on his shoulder. Then I thought better of it. No matter what I do, there will always be a pain in his heart. I replaced my hand at my side and looked at my feet. "I'm sorry, Will." I whispered to him under my breath. I don't even know if he was able to hear it.

There was shuffling from the steps and the sound of keys jingling. When I looked up, Barbossa was there with the Bo'sun. He was looking at our cell. "Bring them both." He tossed the keys at Ragetti, who jumbled with them before opening our cell. My hands had just been unbound and now they are being tied up once more.

Before Will and I were lead up the stairs to our possible doom, I looked at the faces of every crewmember and smiled at them all. All their faces were written with pity. All but one, that is. Anamaria's face looked brave, like she could take on the world. I copied her face so the pirates didn't think I was some week little girl. I used to be one, but this voyage has made me strong. I am ready to face whatever danger lies ahead. I'm no longer scared of these cursed pirates….I'm just a bit frightened….


	16. Take A Walk

Captain Barbossa directed Will and I into a tiny rowboat. The Captain sat in front of us, with his monkey on his shoulder, while another pirate sat behind us. Probably making sure we didn't try to escape or something. Like that was even possible.

As we started rowing towards the dreadful cave, Barbossa kept studying Will and me. I looked at Will, who didn't seem to notice, and then looked back at Barbossa. He caught my eye. "I don't believe I caught your full name, Missy."

His monkey jumped onto my lap and tried to sniff my face. I leaned backwards in disgust. "Evelyn Pierce."

The monkey squealed and jumped back to his master. "Ah, Miss. Pierce. Was your father a Mr. Charles Pierce?"

"Yes."

"The same Charles Pierce who, eight years ago, spied on the British for us?" I didn't say anything.

"No?" Barbossa asked, trying to drag an answer out "Fore I remember it now. We needed to know which pirates were spies for the British. Your father had gotten the information for us….and all for the price of a single bottle of rum." Barbossa started to laugh and was soon joined with the pirate behind us. "One of the most unintelligent men I've ever seen!"

There was nothing to do but except it. "Yes, that was my father."

"Your father paid the price for it in the end, now, didn't he?" More laughter.

"You said you didn't know why your father died." Will whispered to me. Sure, now he decides to pay attention.

"Well I did know. There was just no need to mention it." I whispered to Will before looking at Barbossa "My _father_ was never a part of my life and I choose not to bare any other connections to him. Whatever he chose to do with his life does not affect me."

Barbossa started to laugh again. Instead of being embarrassed or looking down at my feet, as I usually do, I held my head high. I will not let these pirates see me weak.

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After that rather unfortunate trip to my past, the rest of the trip was silent. I forced myself not to think about my father, and instead worry about what will happen in the cave. These are pirates, and I have no idea if they'll let Will and I leave alive.

The pirates quickly forced me out of the boat. The two pirates, who were mopping before, Pintel and Ragetti, were ones guarding both Will and I. Pintel was on Will's right and Ragetti was on my left. They lead us into the cave.

"What exactly will happen once we're inside?" I asked Pintel or Ragetti. Whoever felt like answering I guess.

"Oh it's quite simple, really." Ragetti smiled. "We'll just-"

"No it ain't!" Pintel interrupted "We don't even know what the Captain plans on doing with her." He nodded at me.

"No, I was talkin' about what we plan on doin' with Will here. Just in case he was worried or somethin'."

"Oh, yea. I never would've thought of that….Well, there's no reason to fret." Pintel told Will "Just a prick of the finger. A few drops of blood."

A random pirate came up and grabbed me by the shoulders. He leaned over and looked at Pintel. "No mistakes this time. He's only half Turner. We spill it all!" He pushed me forward up onto this tall pile of coins. There was a little chest neatly centered on the pile. Captain Barbossa was already on the pile.

Will struggled as he was led up onto the pile. "What do you plan on doing with Evelyn?" Will asked Barbossa.

"Ah, I was waiting for you to ask that question." Barbossa taunted, "We plan to be killin' her too." That vile man then started to smile. My heart stopped and my throat went dry. Kill? I was expecting that, but I was hoping I'd be wrong.

Will struggled even more. "Barbossa that was not part of our agreement!"

"You questioned me honor once boy, and now you do it again! I promised you she'd always remain in your sight, and what better way to do that then by both of you goin' to Davy Jones' Locker together? If you can think of another way, please, feel free to say it."

Will didn't even have time to think. "Good. No more questions." Barbossa looked at the three other men on the pile with us "Put them into position."

One man pushed on my shoulder. I winced as I was forced to kneel next to the pile. Will had to have two men lead him to the back of the chest. His head was hanging over the coin filled chest.

I took a deep breath as the pirates started to cheer with excitement. Will and I locked eyes for the last time as Barbossa started his speech. "Begun by blood. By blood-" The pirates stopped cheering.

"Jack!" I shouted, surprised. Will looked up from the cursed coins.

"It's not possible." I heard Barbossa say with disbelief.

"Not probable." Jack said, correcting Barbossa.

Will sat up. "Where's Elizabeth?"

Jack stumbled to the front of the pile. "She's safe, just like I promised. She's all set to marry Norrington, just like she promised. You get to die for her, just like you promised. So we're all men of our world, really. Except for Elizabeth who is, in fact, a woman."

"Shut up! You're next." Barbossa spat. He waved his hand and Will was forced to lean over once more. I felt something cold on my neck; I know it's a dagger of some sort. I took in one last breath of air.

"You don't want to be doing that, mate." I heard Jack say

"No," Barbossa replied, "I really think I do."

"You're funeral."

No one moved. I felt something trickle down my neck. I shut my eyes. _Please don't be blood_. I opened my eyes again once I heard Barbossa sigh, "Why don't I want to be doing it?" I felt the dagger leave my neck. That's a relief.

"Well because…." Jack tried to move forward, but a pirate was holding him back. So he slapped the pirates hand before continuing. "Because the _HMS Dauntless_, pride of the Royal Navy, is floating just offshore, waiting for you."

"Jack, it Whitaker-" I started to ask Jack

"Yes, I'm sure he's there, now shush." He waved his hand at me, but then looked back. "You've got a little blood on your…." He pointed to my neck and made a face. I tried to wipe it off with my shoulder. I hope I got it.

"Now hear me out, mate." Jack said, getting back to business. "You order your men to row to the _Dauntless_. They do what they do best. Robert's your uncle. Fannie's your aunt. There you are with two ships. The makings of your very own fleet. Course you'll take the grandest as your flagship, and whose to argue? But what of the _Pearl_? Name me Captain. I'll sail under your colors. I'll give you ten percent of me plunder. And you get to introduce yourself as Commodore Barbossa. Savvy?" Stupid Jack. I bet he's been planning this….

"I suppose in exchange, you want me to not kill the whelp."

"No, no, no. Not at all. By all means kill the whelp and his little friend over there. Just not yet. Wait to lift the curse until the opportune moment." Jack looked at Will, whose eyes became brighter. A hint, perhaps? I looked at Will and motioned my eyes to Jack. Will slightly nodded. Perhaps we won't die after all….

"For instance…." Jack said, continuing and picking up some cursed coins "After you've killed Norrington's men. Every. Last. One." I watched Jack drop three coins when he actually picked up four. He kept one.

"Jack, you-" I started

"You've been planning this from the beginning. Ever since you learned my name." Will said, strangely interrupting me.

"Yeah." Jack nodded

"You're a Scoundrel, Jack Sparrow. A dirty, rotten, scoundrel." I spat at Jack

"Never said I wasn't, Love." He smiled.

"I want fifty percent of your plunder." Barbossa said, changing the subject.

"Fifteen."

"Forty."

"Twenty-five….I'll buy you the hat. A really big one, Commodore."

Barbossa smiled and stuck out his hand. "We have an accord." Jack shook his hand.

"All hands to the boats!" Jack quickly commanded the pirates. No one moved. "Apologies. You give the orders."

"Gents….take a walk." All the pirates rushed into action. Soon it was just Me, Will, Jack, Barbossa, and three other pirates.

Jack looked confused. "Not to the boats?"


	17. Skull and Crossbones

A pirate practically dragged me off the pile. Once safely off, mostly, another Pirate led Will onto a rock in the middle of some of the water in the cave. I, on the other hand, was pushed onto the pile and was told to "Stay put, or else." Like they could do anything else.

I looked over at Will; it's practically a force of habit. Sadly, he didn't look back. He was to busy focusing on Jack, who was wondering aimlessly through the piles of treasure. I really wish he would turn around; I'd like to see his face. See what he's thinking. Maybe even see something I hadn't see before….

"I must admit, Jack," Barbossa said, making me remember where I was "I thought I had you figured. But it turns out you're a hard man to predict."

"Me? I'm dishonest." Jack stated matter-of-factly "And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly….stupid."

Jack was looking directly at Will when Will started motioning his hands like crazy. He'd make a fist, point at me, point upwards, and then wave his fingers. I braced myself.

With one smooth motion, Jack took the sword from a diverted pirate and flung the sword at Will. Surprisingly, he caught it with his hands bound. I shot up to try and find a weapon, Will took down the man guarding him, and Jack went after Barbossa.

There was a sword sticking laying on one of the many piles. It was difficult getting the sword with my hands bound, but I was able to do it by bending backwards and hoping that it was the first thin I felt. I almost fell in the process, but it worked. The next step was cutting the rope. Before I could even think of a plan to do that, I felt the rope fall off my wrists.

I already knew who it was before I turned around. "Thanks Will." I passed my sword between my two hands, feeling the weight. "Let's put your training to good work." I lead the charge at the three pirates.

The lessons, so far, have proven to bee useful. I was able to keep up with the pirates, which surprised them greatly. I mostly parried. I don't think I'm mentally strong enough to actually take down someone….even if they won't die.

Will seemed to know even before we started fighting that I wasn't planning on killing anyone with my sword. We fought together, back to back. He did the attacking, while I did the blocking. One of the pirates quickly caught onto our pattern. He swung at my neck. "Duck!" I yanked down on Will's shoulder. Once down, we rolled out of the circle the pirates had created around us.

"You won't like this, Evelyn" Will said as I blocked an attack from the first pirate who ran over to us "but we need to split up so we won't be surrounded again."

He was right. I didn't like it. Last time I left Will, he got trapped below deck and almost blew up. But he was right. If we split up, assuming one followed me and two followed me, we might have a better advantage. I nodded at Will "Whatever needs to be done."

Will covered me as I hopped across the rocks. Once I was on the other side, Will took off in the other direction. My goal was to stay in the shadows as much as possible so I wouldn't have to look at the skeleton bodies as greatly.

Unfortunately, what I thought would happen, didn't happen. The pirates knew I was the weaker of the two of us; so only one pirate went after Will. I gripped my sword tighter when I saw the two pirates come towards me.

The first pirate was struggling with the rocks. The second pirate quickly caught up to him and decided that this would take to long. He jumped in the water and trudged towards me. I took a deep breath before charging at him.

I was managing to hold off the second pirate, but the other one was slowly approaching from behind. The next block I made against the second pirate, I pushed him as far away as I could. Quickly, I turned around and kicked the first pirate into the water right before he made his final leap to reach the bank. I heard him splash right when the second pirate attacked me. I started backing up, the second pirates form constantly changing from human to skeleton, giving me some needed distance between the recovering first pirate and me. I also wanted to be a little closer to Will just in case things got to out of hand.

I started panicking when I saw the first pirate running at me. I started paying more attention to that pirate instead of the one who was attacking, and probably trying to kill, me. His sword almost swiping the top of my head brought me back to his threat. Again, I blocked the second pirate and pushed him away. This time, I ran backwards, giving me some distance between both pirates. The first pirate passed the second pirate as he was stumbling backwards.

"Evelyn!" I heard Will call my name. I spun around until I found him standing on a bank relatively close to where I was, his pirate no where to be seen. He tossed a golden object at me. I caught it, realized it was a pot, and knew exactly what Will thought I should do.

When the first pirate was raised his sword, while still running, I stepped to the side and slammed the pot on his head. The first pirate dropped his sword and, instead, used his might to try and pry the pot off his head. I grabbed one of the legs and hit the pot with the hilt of my sword. I flung the first pirate at the now charging second pirate. They collided and tumbled to the ground. I kept my little victory to myself and celebrated in my head, but I bet my face showed my excitement.

I turned to hop over to Will's side, but something stopped me in my tracks. "Will!" I shouted and pointed at the spectacle. Will looked from my face, to my pointed hand, then at the sight of Jack in the moonlight….as a skeleton. Will looked back over at me, and then quickly hopped over to my side. I heard the _clang_ of metal hitting metal. I twisted around and saw that the second pirate had recovered from his fall and had tried to sneak up on me. I jumped back and let Will handle this pirate.

I heard someone yell. When I looked to my side, I saw the pirate Will was fighting charging at me. This third pirate wasted no time in trying to take my head off. I ducked and tried to swipe at his feet, but he just leapt up and tried to bring his sword down on me. I rolled to the side and was able to stand up before the third pirate started attacking with all his might. This time, I wasn't backing up because I wanted to. I was backing up because of the mere strength the third pirate was releasing on me. Soon, Will and I were fighting back to back again, except this time it was two on two since the first pirate still had the pot on his head.

Suddenly, Will pushed me down and backed us out of the little line we were fighting in. When I looked up, I saw the sword of the second pirate go through the skeleton body of the third pirate. The third pirate tried swinging at us, even with the second pirate stuck to him. I grabbed Will's hand and led him behind the second pirate. We ducked, and when we looked back up again, the third pirate's sword was stuck in the second pirate. Will and I exchanged smiles, until the pirates got smart and used the swords inside of them.

This time, Will grabbed my hand as we ran into a different section of the cave. I was able to see Jack and Barbossa fighting for just a split second before they took off into an even newer section of the cave. The pirates Will and I were fighting soon joined us in our new section. Luckily, it was still two on two. I took on the second pirate, as he was a weaker fighter compared to the third pirate.

Will and I separated again, except not as far this time. We each wanted to be ready in case something went wrong with the other.

The second pirate swung down at my shoulder, which I dodged by moving to the right. I saw an opening, and I took it without thinking. With all my might, I swung at the second pirate's stomach. The second pirate cried out, but, of course, he didn't die. I tried pulling my sword out, but it was stuck! The pirate seized the chance and started swinging away. I quickly ducked below his blows. The pirate raised his sword and tried bringing it down on me. I crawled to the other side of him, grabbed the hilt of my sword, and kicked him away. My sword freed itself from the second pirate as he staggered to the side.

Once recovered, he ran at me, but now I was bolder. I began attacking more and parrying less. The second pirate was loosing energy; his attacks became less frequent and his motions became slower. Taking advantage of this, I looked around for the first pirate. As long as his head was still stuck in the pot, all would be good.

I didn't have to look very long. He was still struggling with the golden pot just across from me on another bank. I also noticed that Will wasn't as far away from me as I thought. Everyone was, actually, relatively close to one another.

I don't know how I didn't notice, but the second pirate hadn't attacked me the entire time I was looking for the first pirate. When I looked back at the second pirate, he was now smiling at the little bomb he just lit. He threw it right between Will and I.

I was flown to the edge of the bank. Thankfully, I landed on my hands preventing my head from landing in the water. My hands were on fire. I winced as I placed them into the water to try and wash away the dirt. My palms were scratched up pretty badly.

Something started reflecting in the water. At first it looked like a rock formation, but as the ripples in the water ceased, I saw that the true form was the third pirate raising his sword. I waited until he swung down at me before rolling away. He fell face first into the water.

I sat up to see where Will had been sent to in the explosion. He was standing with Elizabeth watching the skeletons of Jack and Barbossa fighting. Since my sword was nowhere in sight, I grabbed a bomb that was lying on the floor and ran over to join Will and Elizabeth.

"Whose side is Jack on?" Elizabeth asked as soon as I reached them. I grabbed onto the poll they were holding and tucked the little bomb into my boot. We may need it later.

"At the moment?" Will asked.. I just shrugged.

I felt the poll leave my hands as Elizabeth ran over to where the three pirates had gathered. The first pirate finally got his head out of the pot, but Elizabeth knocked him into the water. Will and I quickly joined her.

The only weapon we had left was Elizabeth's poll. Will ducked under the poll and went towards the third pirate. Elizabeth and I threw the poll to Will so he could defend himself. The first pirate came towards us, came at us. Elizabeth attempted to punch him, but he caught her hand. Elizabeth tried pulling away, but his grip was too strong. I could tell she was panicking so I grabbed a golden candleholder and threw it at his head. The first pirate let go of Elizabeth's hand and reeled away.

The second pirate charged at Elizabeth right when Will had defeated the third pirate. Instead of punching the pirate, Elizabeth thought better of it and kicked him. We all grabbed onto the poll and stabbed it through the third pirate, then the second pirate, and finally the first pirate. The three pirates couldn't agree on how to free themselves. Every time the third pirate pulled on the poll, the first pirate pulled the poll in the other direction.

"Now what?" Elizabeth asked mostly Will.

I reached into my boot and pulled out the bomb. I lit it, and then handed it to Will. "Bomb?"

Will took it from me, showed it to the pirates, and stuck it into the second pirate's chest. Since we were in the moonlight, Will, Elizabeth, and I lined up and pushed the pirates into the shade. We backed up and waited for the explosion.

"No fair." The second pirate said before we turned around to get farther away from the explosion.

Will ran for the cursed Aztec gold. Elizabeth and I quickly followed. The force of the explosion caused Elizabeth to stumble, and she had to grab my arm to stop from falling.

I let Elizabeth hop on the rocks before me, and I wished I hadn't. She was having trouble with her footing. Eventually, I was on the same rock as her. She was about to hop onto the rock right before the banks edge, when I saw Barbossa pull out his gun. I cut her off and hopped over to the rock first. Now there was a gun pointing at me. Barbossa looked straight into my eyes. I have no doubt that he'll pull the trigger and end my life right here.

_Bang_! I gasped, thinking that I would soon fall over dead, but I felt no pain. I looked down. There was no blood showing on my clothes. When I looked up, Barbossa was looking at Jack instead of me. I sighed. I wasn't shot! Well, at least not yet. Barbossa's gun was still pointed at me.

"Ten years you carry that pistol, and now you waste your shot." Barbossa said

"He didn't waste it." I heard Will say. Barbossa finally lowered his weapon.

I looked over at the pile of treasure and saw two bloody coins fall from Will's hand. I smiled at Will; the curse has been lifted. I focused my attention back on Barbossa, who now had his jacket opened. I saw the blood stain his white shirt.

"I feel…." Barbossa said, taking his last breath "Cold." Barbossa fell backwards into a pile of gold. A green apple rolled out from his hands.

I sprinted up the pile of coins and practically fell on Will as I hugged him. "It's finally over." I whispered. He said nothing. I was about to let go, thinking I'd done something wrong, when I felt his arms wrap around me. I smiled. Sometimes words aren't needed.

I finally stepped back, but he wasn't looking at me. He was looking at Elizabeth, who was now on the other side of the water. My face fell. I know he loves her. "Go get her." I said faking a smile.

Will finally looked away from her and smiled. "Thanks, Evelyn….for everything." He stuck his hand out. Disappointed, I shook it. Surprisingly, Will pulled me into another hug. I wrapped my arms around his neck.

We walked down the pile together. I stayed on the shore while he jumped on the rocks to get to Elizabeth. I sighed.

"They say letting go is the hardest part, love." It was Jack. I looked at him, pretending to be confused. "Don't you….?" He pointed from me to Will and back to me. I kept the same face. "Ah. Got it." He pointed in a direction and walked there.

Jack was right. I just hope I didn't make the wrong decision.

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The plan was to drop Jack off at his ship and then row back to the _Dauntless_. We'd say that Jack took off and we don't know where he went. That was the plan….until we saw there was no ship. The crew must've sailed away, trying to avoid the Royal Navy.

"I'm sorry, Jack." Elizabeth said.

I reached out to touch his shoulder, then thought better of it. "Sorry Jack."

"They done what's right by them." Jack said, "Can't expect more than that."

We had to help him somehow. Strangely, I consider Jack my friend. I made contact with Will. He had the same thought. We must save Captain Jack Sparrow.


	18. Lovers Loss

I looked Will squarely in the eye "I'm coming with you."

"Evelyn, no!" Will interjected "I can't let you get in any more trouble with the law. You were barely given clemency for the last little adventure you had."

I rolled my eyes. Ever since we arrived back at Port Royal, Will and I had been planning a way to help Jack escape. At first we thought it'd be easier to free him from jail, but the guards had nearly doubled since last time. I guess they didn't want him escaping again. Now it's the day of Jack's hanging. All night I'd been at the Blacksmiths with Will, where we'd been planning for a way to save Jack from the gallows. We were able to agree on one plan, but what I didn't know was that Will planned on doing all the saving.

"Will!" Now I'm getting frustrated. "I went with you to save Jack the first time. I helped you steal a ship. I sailed all the way to Tortuga and Isle de Muerta to help _you_ rescue Elizabeth. I even went with you when we got captured and had to sail all the way back to that bloody Island all over again. We nearly died!" I took a few deep breaths to calm myself. Will silently waited, maybe even thinking about what I was saying.

I reached across the table we were at and squeezed his hand. "When will you ever learn that I'll never leave you?"

I looked up from our hands and into Will's eyes. Will slowly lifted his free hand and out a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. Seeing that I didn't shy away, he gently placed his hand on my cheek. No one moved. We just stared into each other's eyes.

Suddenly, Will dropped his hand onto my shoulder "And what will Whitaker think when he sees you once again going against the law?"

I looked down at our still holding hands. When we were pulled onto the ship back at the Isle de Muerta, Whitaker stood off to the sides. I tried to walk over to him and tell him how happy I was to see him and that I was happy he was alright; but before I could even reach him, Whitaker shook his head and backed away. I thought he hated me so much that he never wanted to see me again, but I learned that he was the main reason I was granted clemency. Elizabeth's father, who pleaded for Will, agreed to help me, but he didn't help me as much as he helped Will.

"And what will Elizabeth think when you once again save a pirate?" I coldly shot back. It wasn't so much of an insult as it was to try and change the subject.

We were silent. I didn't want to talk about Whitaker, and he didn't want to talk about Elizabeth. At least we didn't want to talk about them to each other….

"If we're going to remain silent, we might as well condemn Jack to death." I said, noticing that the town was all heading to the fort.

Will sighed. "You seem to have an uncanny ability to throw a sword in the exact spot you wish it to be."

I reflected back to when, not so long ago, Jack and Will were fighting in this very room and I threw the sword in the door so Jack couldn't remove the lock and escape. "Does this mean I get to help?" I asked excitedly.

He nodded. "Here's what I want you to do…."

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The charges of Jack were already being read by the time Will and I showed up. Hopefully, this new plan will work….without anyone going to jail….

I saw Elizabeth with her father and fiancé standing behind us. I tapped Will on the shoulder, the feather in his new hat nearly hitting me in response. "Will, I know you love Elizabeth and-" I stopped when I saw the parrot.

Will, once again almost hitting me with the feather, turned to look at that parrot we'd seen so many times before. I sighed "If you don't do something now, you may not have another chance."

Without saying a word, he turned back and headed for Elizabeth. I stayed put. I don't want to hear my best friend confessing his love for someone. It's not that I'm happy for him, its just….I don't want him to love her. Will deserves a girl who is willing to go to the ends of the earth with him on some wild adventure. Or even a girl who always listens to him and never rejects any of his crazy ideas. I'm not saying it's me, no….it's definitely not me, I'm just saying it's not….her.

The drums started picking up right when someone started pushing me forward. I tensed up before realizing it was Will. "Time to go." He said thrusting my sword into my hand and taking the lead.

He shoved his way to the crowed, but no one was moving. The executioner's hands were on the lever that would end Jacks life. "Will, we're not going to make it!" Determined, Will pulled his sword out. That got them moving!

The executioner pulled the lever right when Will was finally able to make a gap in the crowd. I threw the sword as soon was Will was out of the way. The sword hit the plank right under Jacks feet. As happy as I was that I once again was able to hit my target, I had no time to celebrate.

Will went up to face the executioner while I went below with Jack. I looked up through the whole in the floor "Will cut the rope!"

I could see Will with his sword fighting the executioner with his mighty ax. Even though the odds seemed to be in the executioners favor, I've learned to never doubt Will when he's determined to do something.

Soon enough, Jack was on the ground beside me. I grabbed his hands and started to untie his bonds. "What's taking so long?" Jack asked only after a few seconds of me helping.

"It a knot. Some patience would be acceptable." I hissed under my breath.

"I'm not one to being acceptable." He said standing up and cutting the rope with the sword I had stuck in the plank. I crinkled my nose.

"Stop your pouting and take this." Jack retorted, throwing me part of the noose. He took the other side off his neck and we ran out from under the scaffold, tripping officers in the process. Will soon joined my side of the rope, and we fought our way up the stairs.

I don't know how we three were able to take down a good amount of the Royal Navy with just a piece of rope. They even have their Bayonets drawn and everything!

I let Will and Jack handle all the hand-to-hand combat. I tried as hard as any woman can when she's fighting with two other men, but at some point, even though I didn't want it, they took over. I felt like the rope was dragging me more than I was helping actually helping Will and Jack fight, but what can I say?

Once we reached the top of the stairs, I made Will and Jack capture some officers with the rope and pull it around a column. My plan worked perfectly….except for the fact that we lost the rope and two officers were coming towards us. Will punched the first officer and Jack was getting ready to punch the second officer, but I had a sense that I wasn't helping at all. So I ran knocked Jack out of the way and punched him myself. Punching people hurts a lot more than it looks like?

Jack glowered at me. "I'm not one to being acceptable, either." I shrugged before all three of us rolled over to the column across the hallway, dodging another officer in the process. We worked our way to the other side of the column before we were surrounded by armed officers, Whitaker being amongst them….we hadn't planned this far in advance.

Will, who had taken a sword from an officer, clinked the weapon against the bayonets of the soldiers. I stayed on his left side as we circled "Stop it." I whispered. It was really no use, but he kept circling. I slapped his left arm. "Stop it." I whispered more sharply.

Then the Commodore came up, his sword pointed against Will's neck. "I thought we might endure some ill-conceived escape attempt. But not from you." He looked at Will, and then at me. "Or even you. Some new commoner who's already broken several laws within her first few days of living here." I looked away from the Commodore and instead looked at Whitaker. He was the only officer who did not have his weapon pointed at us.

"On our return to Port Royal, I granted you clemency." I heard the Governor say "Both of you!" I rolled my eyes. He barely helped me; it was all Whitaker. He helped me. I smiled my thanks at him. "And this is how you thank me? By throwing in your lot with him? He's a pirate!"

"And a good man." Will said, throwing his sword down. "If all we've have achieved is the hangman will earn three pairs of boots instead of one, so be it. At least my conscience will be clear."

I turned back to the Commodore and stared him in the eye. "As will mine."

"Miss. Pierce, is it? You have stepped far beyond the limits of any woman. And _you_," The Commodore said stepping up towards Will "You've forgotten your place."

"It's right here….between you and Jack." Will calmly responded.

"As is mine." I said, holding my head up high.

Elizabeth stepped into the circle and rushed to the other side of Will "And mine."

Her father looked horrified. "Elizabeth!" She didn't move. The Governor started to panic. "Lower your weapons." The officers didn't move. "For goodness sake, put them down!" I admit, I could breathe a little once the weapons went up.

"So this is where your heart truly lies?" The Commodore asked, defeated.

I turned my back when I heard Elizabeth reply, "It is." They love each other, and I don't think anything can stop their love.

Someone grabbed my shoulders. I looked up and smiled when I saw Whitaker. "Thank you." I whispered, hugging him. I've missed Whitaker.

"Elizabeth." I heard Jack say, "It would never have worked between us, darling…. I'm sorry."

Jack backed up a little. "Evelyn." I perked my head up. "I've always liked your name."

I smirked and nodded at him. _Good-Bye, Jack_.

Jack started to walk up the stairs. "Will….nice hat." The marines started to catch on that he was leaving. They started to follow him.

"Friends!" Jack said once he reached the top "This is a day that you will always remember as the day that-" He fell.

Horrified, I ran to the edge and looked down. "Idiot." I heard someone say "He has nowhere to go but back to the noose."

Jack came up from the water right when a ship pulled around the corner. It was the Black Pearl. I looked over at Will and smiled. We did it!

"What's your plan of action?" The now nervous marine asked the Commodore. No answer. "Sir?" Still no answer. Will and I had accidentally outsmarted a Royal Navy.

"Perhaps on the rare occasion pursuing the right course demands an act of piracy," The Governor said, saving the Commodore "Piracy itself can be the right course?"

The Commodore nodded. "Mr. Turner. Miss. Pierce." I miss confused Commodore. I shuffled over to the Commodore. I knew there would be consequences. "This is a beautiful sword." He said to Will "I would expect the man who made it to show the same care and devotion in every aspect of his life."

"Thank you." Will responded.

Now the Commodore faced me. "I would also expect any woman who risks her life for complete strangers to be kind and loyal everywhere her heart may lead her."

I smiled, relieved "Thank you, sir."

All the officers, except Whitaker, started to walk away. "Commodore!" That same marine who always seems to be concerned about Jack shouted. "What about Sparrow?"

"Well," The Commodore responded, seeming exhausted, "I think we can afford to give him one day's head start."

I walked away. Knowing that by leaving Will and Elizabeth alone, they were going to kiss. Knowing that after this, they'll both probably get married and live happily ever after. Knowing that they'll be together forever, even after death itself.

"Evelyn! Wait!" I heard Whitaker say once I was outside the fort. I spun around and smiled. "I'm sorry." He mumbled.

"What for?" I'm confused. He's never really done anything to hurt me.

"For not talking to you on the boat. For not standing up for you more. But most of all, I'm sorry for saying you couldn't be friends with Mr. Turner. No one should choose who you can and can't trust in this world."

I can't even think of words to say. So instead, I wrapped my arms around him and gave him the most passionate kiss I've ever given anyone. He wrapped his arm around me and kissed me back. I think this man may be in love with me, and I certainly have feelings for Whitaker; but is it a crime for him to love a woman who may be in love with someone else?


End file.
